In the days when Mona was desperately longing for Lin Mo's return, she noticed one morning that the shop on the first floor of their rented mansion had been taken over by some merchant.
"What a shame..."
Mona's eyes dimmed with sadness.
"You used to hold me right there by that window facing the sea..." she murmured, "whispering in my ear that once we'd saved enough, we'd buy the shop downstairs. I'd handle the fortunes, and you'd take care of the money..."
"But now... someone else has snapped it up."
"It'll probably be a long time before we can make that dream come true."
The news hit her hard. Mona felt utterly downcast. She stopped standing by the window, gazing out in hopes of spotting Lin Mo's return. Instead, she curled up under the covers, nursing her heartache alone.
Before she knew it, she'd drifted off to sleep, wrapped in her blanket of sorrow and disappointment.
In her dreams, she felt someone gently stroking her cheek. That familiar touch, that warmth, that overwhelming sense of security—it made her nuzzle against the hand in her sleep without thinking.
"Lin Mo... is that you? Have you come back...?"
Her sleepy mumble, paired with her adorable expression as she slumbered, tugged at Lin Mo's heart. He crouched by the bed, letting her rest her head on his palm, watching over her through the night.
As dawn broke and sunlight filtered in, warming Mona's drowsy face, she stretched lazily with a soft yawn. "Mmm... that's the best sleep I've had in ages."
She was clearly in a good mood. Under the glow of the morning sun, she slowly opened her eyes.
And froze.
"Slept well, huh?"
Lin Mo smiled down at her.
That warm grin, bathed in the sunrise, made the whole scene feel surreal to Mona, like she was still lost in a dream.
Then, Lin Mo leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Come on, time to get up. We've got a busy day ahead."
With those soft words, he handed her two documents, placing them by her pillow.
"Huh?"
Mona blinked in confusion. Her eyes caught the words "deed" on the papers, and she bolted upright, snatching them up.
"Liyue Harbor Residence 271 Property Deed"
"Liyue Harbor Shop 55 Property Deed"
And most astonishingly, the name on both was: Astrologer Mona Megistus.
"Lin Mo... am I still dreaming...?"
"Hmm?"
Lin Mo chuckled and pinched her cheek playfully. "Let's go check out the fortune-telling shop I renovated for you. See if you like it."
"No way!" Mona pouted, throwing her arms around him. "You heartless jerk! Where have you been for the past month? Why'd it take you so long to come back...?"
"Well..."
Lin Mo stroked her shoulder gently. "I went to Snezhnaya and took care of that fat bastard. The money for the house and shop? Straight from his vault."
"I've got over four million Mora left, stashed away at the Feiyun Commerce Guild under your name. You can withdraw it anytime you need."
"Lin Mo... as long as you're here, none of that matters."
Mona clung to him tightly, refusing to let go.
But...
Lin Mo couldn't give her the answer she wanted. "I... might not be able to stay with you forever." His voice carried a hint of sadness.
"Why not!?"
Mona stared into his eyes, her beautiful gaze filled with confusion.
"You know what it means to kill a high-ranking official from Snezhnaya—it's a serious crime."
Lin Mo explained with a bitter smile. "The Fatui Executives will be after me now, maybe even the Tsaritsa herself."
"For your safety, I can't stick around. I'm... sorry."
Mona's thoughts lingered on that moment.
In the years that followed, even though she lived the life she'd always dreamed of—no more daily commissions, plenty to eat, self-sufficient—she wasn't happy. Immersed in her longing for Lin Mo, she grew withdrawn and melancholic.
Even when she woke from the dream and returned to reality, without him, life lost all appeal.
Commissions? She hadn't taken a single one.
She'd scraped by on her meager savings for a month.
If not for running out of money, she never would've accepted a job that brought her back to Liyue, the place that broke her heart.
But she was incredibly grateful that coming here had led her to news of Lin Mo by chance.
"Mona..."
Lin Mo looked into her affectionate eyes and smiled wryly. "Is that how you got from Liyue Harbor to Inazuma? You swam?"
"Of course!"
Mona said it like it was the most obvious thing. "Beidou's ship was way too slow. I couldn't wait any longer to see you."
"Hm? Big Sis Beidou's coming too?"
Lin Mo asked, puzzled. "Isn't she supposed to be tied up with the Lantern Rite and Liyue's reconstruction right now?"
"Well, yeah, originally..."
Mona explained while showing her hydro scrying disk. "But I divined that a disaster's about to hit Inazuma, and I told Acting Grand Master Jean about it."
"Jean was worried about you, so she arranged for some reliable allies. Beidou's bringing them over to help."
"What?"
Lin Mo was stunned.
"Inazuma? A disaster?"
That didn't match the original storyline—Inazuma shouldn't have any more crises.
As Lin Mo pondered this, a squad from the Tenryou Commission approached the torii gate at full speed.
Leading them was one of the Raiden Shogun's top generals, Kujou Sara.
In the center, escorted by the group, was a sweet-faced young woman Lin Mo recognized well—the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island, Sangonomiya Kokomi.
Kujou Sara stepped forward first, passing by Lin Mo with a meaningful glance.
But she had more pressing matters and set aside her desire to reunite with him for now.
Instead, she turned to Ei with a grave expression. "General, reports from the resistance indicate that the seal beneath Watatsumi Island is starting to weaken."
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T/N:
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