A Title Worth Noting
Even Kuroda had to admit the naming style was uniquely eccentric. He had never encountered an author who titled books like this. Then again, it was undeniably eye-catching. Amidst a sea of neatly arranged light novels, a title that explosive practically demanded attention.
What was the core of a good novel? First and foremost, it had to capture a reader's curiosity. It had to compel them to crack the spine and dive in.
Even without judging the content, his manuscript already passed muster. Though, admittedly, the actual story proved even more explosive than the title suggested.
Kuroda guided Shen Xing toward Yae Miko's studio. The moment they stepped inside, Shen Xing spotted her. She rested her chin on one hand, lazily reviewing a stack of manuscripts. Clearly bored out of her mind, her expression drooped with lethargy. She even yawned.
Lately, Yae Publishing House had been flooded with transmigration submissions. Word of A-Jiu's recent hit about a modern person transported into an otome game had clearly sparked a frenzy of copycat attempts. Yet none of these new entries managed to stir Yae Miko's interest.
Formulaic.
Dull.
Their imaginations remained shackled to the borders of Teyvat. They paled in comparison to that sudden prodigy, the young writer who went by A-Jiu. Yae Miko had actually read his book twice. The modern lifestyle he described had genuinely piqued her curiosity.
Did those modern conveniences truly exist? Things like airplanes and subways?
Such a novel worldview.
If it had captivated the editor-in-chief herself, ordinary readers would stand no chance of resisting.
Page Four
Kuroda stepped forward. "Guuji, A-Jiu has come to submit another manuscript."
Yae Miko's lethargy vanished in an instant. Her eyes sharpened. A new book already? "Hand it over."
Kuroda passed the manuscript from Shen Xing to Yae Miko. Her gaze flicked to the title. *The Yandere Experiment Maniac and His Runaway Harbinger?*
Involving a Fatui Harbinger? Interesting.
She dismissed Kuroda with a wave, then smiled warmly as she gestured for Shen Xing to sit. She would handle the initial review herself.
Yae Miko read with swift precision, her initial interest palpable. Shen Xing watched Yae Miko's expressions shift through every stage. Her brow furrowed. Her mouth twitched. Her eyes widened in shock. Then her lips pressed into a thin line.
Beneath his mask, Shen Xing fought to keep his lips from curling. He was barely holding back a laugh.
Not even an old fox like Yae Miko could have anticipated a story written quite like this.
*The Yandere Experiment Maniac and His Runaway Harbinger* delivered a brutal, familiar truth at its core. Late affection was worthless. Control freaks deserved to die alone. It was a melodramatic tale of toxic love and mutual destruction.
The story opened with a street child. His name was Tartaglia.
Like countless other protagonists, he was unloved. Familyless. He survived by scavenging through refuse, living a life worse than any stray animal.
Then one day, a light broke through his darkness. The striking blue-haired man did more than feed him. He brought him home. Warmth bloomed in Tartaglia's chest. Coaxing and sweet words from Dottore did the rest. The innocent boy poured his entire heart into the man.
But the boy soon noticed something strange about his savior. The man brought other children home every day. He invited them into a private room.
A place Dottore strictly forbade him to enter.
Confusion gnawed at Tartaglia. Curiosity won. He hid in the shadows and watched.
The truth shattered his illusions. His savior, his beacon of light, was a monster. A sadistic experimenter. Under the harsh laboratory lamps, the scalpel in the man's hand cast a chilling gleam. The crimson blood smeared across it nearly burned Tartaglia's eyes.
Panic took hold. He made a sound.
Dottore found him instantly. The gentle facade cracked. A terrifying smile spread across the man's face. He stared at the boy like a starving wolf finally cornering fresh meat.
Young Tartaglia was dragged onto the operating table. His limbs were pinned down, utterly helpless.
The man spoke.
"I have waited a long time for this."
"Come now, good boy. Let me see your face."
No matter how the boy thrashed, screamed, or begged, the man remained unmoved. He merely observed him like an artist studying a masterpiece.
Tartaglia fell completely into those claws. He plunged into an abyss. A nightmare named Dottore.
He did not treat him like the others. Tartaglia survived. He grew into adulthood. Those beautiful blue eyes, once clear as spring water, lost their light on the day he came of age. The day he was broken.
Dottore was cunning. Tartaglia's love vanished the moment he realized the truth. But years of isolation, combined with relentless manipulation and deceit, successfully broke his mind. He became a plaything.
Dottore finally claimed his most perfect creation.
The following chapters raced along a much darker track. Explicit. Unrelenting.
Later, Dottore brought home a stunningly beautiful puppet. He called him The Wanderer.
Dottore favored the new arrival. He stopped visiting Tartaglia. Day after day, the boy's heart sank into the depths. Coldness replaced warmth.
He finally made a choice that would alter his life forever. He ran.
Dottore never bothered to search for him. He showed complete indifference.
They met again when the Tsaritsa summoned every Harbinger. She announced the arrival of a new member.
That pitiful fool, the naive boy Dottore had spun around his finger, had transformed into the Eleventh Harbinger.
Dottore found the irony delicious. He began to "pursue" Tartaglia.
Harassed beyond endurance, Tartaglia left for Liyue on a mission. After La Signora seized the Gnosis, he returned to Snezhnaya to report. Dottore overpowered him with brute force. He was captured again.
The narrative returned to explicit territory, laced with darker twists. Dottore brewed a potion capable of inducing male pregnancy. He forced Childe to drink it. And so, he conceived.
The ending sealed their fate. Two Harbingers locked in a toxic cycle of love and violence. They tore each other apart. They killed one another. A tragic Bad Ending.
Beneath his hood, Shen Xing's crimson eyes flickered with amusement.
'He had finally thrown this bucket of melodrama onto Teyvat. He couldn't wait to see the readers' faces. It would be spectacular.'
He wondered if the book would sell across the entire continent. He genuinely wanted to witness the Harbingers' reactions. Heh.
A pity, though. He wouldn't get to see it. Childe hadn't been in Liyue recently. He had likely already returned to Snezhnaya.
Yae Miko's mind felt like thick paste. Her eyes glazed over for a long moment before she finally pulled herself from the shocking narrative. She cleared her throat. The sound made Shen Xing shift in his seat. Yae Miko's voice carried a profound weight.
"I have skimmed through it. I can publish it."
Shen Xing's eyes lit up. They were actually willing to publish something with this level of boldness? Excellent. Absolutely excellent.
"However," Yae Miko added, a playful lilt coloring her voice. "If the Harbingers come knocking at the doors of Yae Publishing House... well, I do not make a habit of losing money."
She smiled, her words flowing with practiced ease. "After all, we hardly possess the strength to stand against those Fatui Harbingers from Snezhnaya."
Shen Xing nodded. Naturally. He had already written the novels, so there was no point fearing their wrath if they tracked him down. Why else would he be so heavily disguised?
His cover identity absolutely could not slip.
Seeing Shen Xing agree, Yae Miko felt a sharp spike of curiosity about his true face. Yet, this rather short-statured youth had shrouded himself in mystery both times, leaving her with no way to catch even a glimpse.
She blinked gently, stepped forward, and leaned down to examine him up close.
Caught off guard by her sudden proximity, Shen Xing hastily shuffled backward. The edge of his hood shifted upward just a fraction, and Yae Miko caught a flash of those burning eyes. She froze on the spot.
She had seen them before. Somewhere.
The memory slipped just out of reach.
Startled, Shen Xing quickly tugged his hood down to cover himself again. He lowered his voice, feigning irritation. "Do not lean in so close to me!"
Yae Miko snapped back to herself, offering an apologetic smile. "My apologies. I was simply wondering why you are so secretive every time you visit. Are you hiding some dark secret? Perhaps an unattractive face?"
Shen Xing: ...
Who was she calling ugly?!
She chuckled, steering the conversation back on track. "So, what should I tell them if they come looking for you?"
"I need an answer, after all. The lives of my staff are not something I can afford to gamble with."
Shen Xing pondered for a long moment before replying. "Just say he appears to be from Mondstadt. He always wears a heavy black cloak that covers him completely, and that you know nothing else about him."
'Sorry, Anemo Archon. Terribly sorry for interrupting your peaceful slacking.'
'Consider it a little spice to liven up your routine.'
Yae Publishing House moved with remarkable speed. Within three days, the novel was already on the shelves.
As expected, *The Yandere Experiment Maniac and His Runaway Harbinger* sold incredibly well. It became an unprecedented sensation.
Every staff member at Yae Publishing House was thrown into a frenzy, working overtime to keep the printing presses running.
The target audience was strictly adult women. Minors were not permitted to purchase it.
One week later, while leisurely wandering through Liyue, Shen Xing received a hefty manuscript fee along with a letter from Yae Miko.
The letter proposed printing tens of millions of copies for distribution across the Seven Nations. It offered a royalty rate of five percent and asked for his opinion.
He agreed immediately. This was money!
Thoroughly captivated by the prospect of wealth, Shen Xing gave his swift approval. No author ever dreamed of staying obscure, and he was no exception.
Besides, nothing was more terrifying than poverty.
After joining the WangSheng Funeral Parlor, Shen Xing had learned the true meaning of the word 'broke'. It was especially difficult with a certain deity in the household who spent Mora with alarming casualness.
The man had absolutely no concept of the currency's value.
After all, he was a god who originally minted Mora. Habits and mindsets forged over millennia could not simply be discarded overnight.
Forgetting about money was perfectly understandable. When he still ruled as Rex Lapis, he never had to spend it anyway.
Having no Mora... well, that made sense too. He genuinely carried none. After stepping down, he no longer minted it, and his wages were kept in Hu Tao's safe. So, the reason remained the same.
Shen Xing darted into the WangSheng Funeral Parlor at full speed and practically shoved the still-warm pouch of Mora into Zhongli's arms. Before Zhongli could even process what was happening, Shen Xing had already slipped away.
He was more than happy to fund Zhongli. In other words, buttering up Rex Lapis would guarantee his own safety if his identity was ever compromised. It was a practical investment in his survival.
He considered it buying insurance for himself.
Zhongli picked up the pouch of Mora dropped into his hands and fell into deep thought.
Where on earth had this much money come from?
The quiet days passed swiftly. Thanks to the relentless efforts of Yae Publishing House, the novel Shen Xing had written finally swept across all of Teyvat.
Even the Wanwen Bookhouse in Liyue was completely overrun by demand.
There was no helping it. The sales were explosive, and who in their right mind would turn away such profit?
Now, young women walking the streets could be seen clutching copies of *The Yandere Experiment Maniac and His Runaway Harbinger*. Their faces glowed with excitement as they chattered with one another. As Shen Xing walked by, he caught snippets of their hushed conversations:
"This Tartaglia... is he not that Snezhnayan merchant who visited Liyue a while back? The name matches."
"Does that mean he is actually a Fatui Harbinger?!"
"Goodness, he hid his true identity to come here. Could he have been behind Rex Lapis's passing recently?"
"Who knows..."
"Do not you think he is handsome? I actually saw him in Liyue Harbor playing with a child a while ago. He smiled so warmly. He does not feel like a villain at all. Maybe he is not one. The Fatui might have good people in their ranks."
"Hehe... I really want to know if the chemistry between these two is real. It is just so thrilling. Especially the parts about Childe becoming a Harbinger. It makes my blood boil, that intense clash of wills."
"It is just that the ending was a bit..."
"..."
"I really want to drag the author out of hiding, lock them in a dark room, and force them to change the ending! How could they write a double death?"
[ Page 5 ]
"Dead! They both died!"
"Exactly. What the other girls are saying is right. Who exactly is this A-Jiu..."
The conversation suddenly took a sharp turn. Their knives were practically sharpened and aimed directly at A-Jiu.
Shen Xing: ...
He silently took a step back, then swiftly slipped away from the scene.