Time drifted slowly by.
In the blink of an eye, dusk had arrived.
The autumn night breeze, carrying a faint chill, gently caressed the city-state of Mondstadt.
The windmills turned softly with the wind, giving off a faint creaking sound.
Quiet and peaceful.
"I never imagined Miss Fang Qiu's books would spread so far and wide—even that workaholic Jean would take her free time to read. When I walked into the Knights' office and saw Jean reading one of Fang Qiu's books, I was absolutely stunned…"
Bathed in the dim yellow twilight, Paimon followed behind Lumine as they walked along the streets of Mondstadt.
"Same here."
Lumine nodded.
After leaving Inazuma, they had used the teleport waypoints to travel all the way to Mondstadt.
Having looked around Mondstadt, they discovered that Fang Qiu's books were extraordinarily popular here too.
So they decided to go and have a talk with Mondstadt's publishing house.
If they wanted to get in touch with the publishing house quickly, the best approach was naturally the same as with the Liyue Publishing House—find someone to make an introduction.
And so, the best plan was naturally to ask someone from the Knights of Favonius to help with the introduction.
The best candidate was, of course, Acting Grand Master Jean.
With Jean's introduction, they smoothly secured the same terms they had proposed to the Liyue Publishing House.
The three publishing houses would jointly provide the payment.
As for the royalty split on Fang Qiu's books, naturally nothing changed there.
With all of that taken care of, they decided to stay in Mondstadt for a few days.
As they passed through Fountain Square, they spotted a familiar figure.
It was Diona.
She was sitting on an iron chair in Fountain Square.
"Is that Diona?"
Paimon said, "Didn't expect to run into someone we know so soon—let's go say hello."
When they drew closer, they saw Diona cradling a book, reading it intently.
Just as Paimon was about to call out a greeting, she suddenly realized something was off about Diona.
Holding the book, Diona was biting down hard on her lower lip, and then a teardrop rolled down her cheek and dripped onto the cherry-colored page.
"Drip."
Seeing this, Paimon hurriedly swallowed back the greeting she'd been about to give.
Only then did they notice that the book Diona was holding was Your Lie in April.
And the part she'd reached—
It was the very last scene: Arima Kousei had finished playing, and as the music came to its end, so too did Miyazono Kaori's life reach its end.
[Spring is almost here…
The spring in which I met you is almost here…
The spring in which you'll no longer be is almost here…]
The cherry-colored petals printed across the pages, as if drifting through the air, fell on the wind just like Miyazono Kaori herself.
Diona's tears kept dripping onto the pages.
"Diona, are you alright?"
Lumine asked.
Hearing the Traveler's voice, Diona finally came back to herself. She lifted her head and, rising to her feet, threw herself straight into Lumine's arms.
After crying for a good long while, Diona finally caught herself, hurriedly releasing the arms wrapped around Lumine and pulling back out of her embrace.
"I wasn't crying—the wind was just strong and got in my eyes, that's all."
Not only were Diona's eyes red, even her face had flushed crimson. She instinctively looked away as she spoke.
"Diona, you like reading Fang Qiu's books too?"
Lumine asked.
"Traveler, you read that Demon King's books too?"
Diona said in alarm.
After all, even Acting Grand Master Jean couldn't withstand that Demon King Fang Qiu's books—she had to down a few drinks after finishing them just to ease the gloom in her heart.
Having just finished reading Your Lie in April, written by Fang Qiu, Diona could finally understand why so many people wanted to drink after reading her books…
"What do you mean, Demon King?"
Paimon asked, puzzled, then abruptly changed tack and said, "The last time I heard that nickname was when we went to the islands with Klee and the others. I still remember that funny line Klee said."
"The bigger the cover, the naughtier the Dodo-King."
As she said it, Paimon even imitated Klee's tone of voice.
Seeing that the Traveler and Paimon were both baffled, Diona told them everything that had happened over these past few days.
From the state of the common folk after reading the books, to Acting Grand Master Jean going to the Cat's Tail Tavern to drink, to how, after she returned to Springvale, she saw her own father get blackout drunk after finishing one of Fang Qiu's books…
Right now, Fang Qiu was the chief culprit behind the boom in Mondstadt's liquor trade.
A Demon King!
"Now that you mention it, there really is this phenomenon. In Inazuma, the hype around Miss Fang Qiu's books has probably long since died down, and there are only two books, so not many people were drinking. But in Liyue, it's a different story entirely. During the days we spent in Liyue, nearly every tavern was packed with people come nightfall—most of them drowning their sorrows after finishing Miss Fang Qiu's books."
Paimon stroked her chin, recalling for a moment, and said, "Earlier, when we passed below the Wanwen Bookhouse, we saw that tavern's proprietress looking at her packed-full tavern, grinning so wide she couldn't close her mouth."
"Miss Fang Qiu? You mean—Fang Qiu is a girl?"
After following Paimon's lead in grumbling about the bad influence of Fang Qiu's books, Diona suddenly realized something. She tilted her head, looking at Paimon and Lumine, and asked in confusion.
"That's right, and she's gorgeous—a beautiful big sister."
Paimon nodded, then said helplessly, "And she's super gentle in person. I'd originally planned to go settle the score with her, but for some reason, the moment I see her I just can't get mad—I can't bring myself to say anything harsh at all."
"Such a gentle, beautiful big sister—why would she write novels like these…"
Diona said with a sob in her voice, "Wouldn't it be better to write something that warms people's hearts?"
"She probably has her own ideas."
Paimon said, "Maybe Fang Qiu writes for the sake of those who run from the pain in their hearts, who grow number day by day—so that they'll face their own hearts. That's why, even though nearly every book is a tragedy, those who survive all find redemption. Just like how Miyazono Kaori's appearance rescued Arima Kousei, who had been growing number with each passing day. Every single work is telling its own truth."
When she finished, even Lumine was stunned. She froze for several seconds before snapping out of it, and said, "Paimon, you can actually say something that profound?"
"Heh heh, this is something I heard a couple of days ago from a storyteller when I passed by a teahouse. It's a new storytelling service the teahouses have started up. Apparently it was suggested by one of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's consultants, and the idea spread through the teahouses in no time. Lots of teahouses started doing storytelling after the screening of Sword and Fairy wrapped up—commenting on all the various books out now, sorting through the plots, and pointing out little details."
Paimon said.
"This Wangsheng Funeral Parlor consultant you're talking about…"
Lumine said.
"That's right—it's exactly the person you're thinking of…"
Paimon nodded and said, "All I can say is, it's just like him. Not only did he help the Storytellers find a new way to weather the impact of the film screenings, he also found a whole new form of entertainment. Let's go listen sometime in the next few days too. That whole speech just now was something I heard at the Third-Round Knockout. Apparently the storytelling at the Third-Round Knockout is the most popular—especially when it comes to divining the author's intentions. I'd wager even Miss Fang Qiu doesn't necessarily understand her own books as well as that storyteller does."
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