Ningguang stood alone in her spacious office, Yelan's final words causing even greater ripples in her heart.
More interesting than "guoba the god of cookery"? More profound?
She sat back down in her large chair, her gaze falling once more upon the drawer where she had just placed the booklet. The frequency of her fingertips tapping on the desk revealed her inner unrest.
"Baiwen," she called out softly to the empty office.
Almost the instant her voice fell, the office door was silently pushed open, and a capable female secretary stood with her head bowed: "Lady Ningguang, please give your instructions."
"Go and investigate." Ningguang's tone was calm and steady, but the content made Baiwen pause slightly. "Collect all publications by an author with the pen name 'Lovia' currently on the market—regardless of genre or the channel through which they are circulated—as completely as possible, and bring them to me."
"Lovia?" Baiwen quickly filtered through her list of well-known authors and confirmed no such person existed. "Yes, my Lady, I will attend to it immediately."
"Remember," Ningguang added, her gaze sharp, "handle this discreetly; there is no need to alarm too many people."
"Understood." Baiwen took her orders, withdrew quietly, and gently closed the door.
Ningguang leaned back against her chair, closing her eyes and rubbing her slightly throbbing temples.
The daily administrative affairs of Liyue Harbor, the diplomatic maneuvering between nations, the maintenance of commercial networks, and so on were already enough to drain her spirit; now, a mysterious author of "unofficial history" had been added to the mix.
But her intuition and Yelan's attitude told her that what flowed from this "Lovia's" pen might be more than just idle gossip for after-tea conversation.
A few days later, a stack of booklets with various bindings was neatly placed on Ningguang's desk.
The titles on the covers were each more eye-catching than the last: "Record of Shi Po's Wanderings · Part One: Master Zhongli Didn't Bring Mora Today Either", "Regarding the Matter of the Geo Archon Being a Synthesized God Who Caused His Wife's Death", "The Name Morax Actually Conceals twin deities and a contract of Life and Death!", "The Guardian Yaksha's Troubles: karma is Not as Scary as Insomnia"... So many... Ningguang took a deep breath and casually picked up the top one, "Record of Shi Po's Wanderings", to flip through.
At first, she managed to maintain her usual composure, but soon, when she read about how that Young Master Zhongli bought all the raw stones at Jade Mystery in one go and then, without changing expression, told the shopkeeper to send the bill to Sea Gazers Pavilion, specifically naming a girl called "Ningguang" to reimburse him, her hand holding the tea paused almost imperceptibly.
Even though she was used to weathering storms, she was startled by the author's extremely bold description of such a "possibility."
She suppressed the shock in her heart and continued reading. But the further she read, the more complex her expression became.
Those conjectures about the Archon being "synthesized," the deduction that the essence of Mora might be "rock counterfeit currency," the banter about the Conqueror of Demons failing to grow tall due to insomnia, and the Archon's thoughts when encountering a sale... The lines were filled with hilarious ridicule, but hidden beneath them was a deconstruction of Liyue's legends and a startling "truth."
These articles used exaggerated methods to reflect an alternative silhouette of Liyue's Adepti and history. Though they seemed absurd and groundless, they could always make one dazed at a certain detail, thinking, "Could it really be so?"
This was no longer just fictionalizing; it was almost as if an absurd brush was being used to paint a corner of the unknown truth.
True? False?
These two words circled in her mind, and for a moment, she found it difficult to settle on an answer.
When Ningguang finally put down the last booklet, the sky outside had darkened once again.
The lights of the Jade Chamber were just beginning to glow, reflecting her contemplative face.
She finally understood what Yelan meant by "much more interesting."
This Lovia was not just writing stories; he seemed to be using this unique method to participate in the re-interpretation of Liyue's legends.
After the Archon's "departure," such stories appeared particularly sensitive, and also particularly precious.
"Nowadays, although the divide between Adepti and mortals remains, the absolute authority regarding gods and Adepti seems to have quietly loosened..." Ningguang mused.
Perhaps it was this loosening that gave birth to an author like "Lovia" and his works, and it was precisely because of his appearance that people began to dare to discuss those once-unquestionable existences in a more relaxed manner.
This in itself was a manifestation of the era of human rule.
But as Liyue's Tianquan Star, Ningguang could not merely view it as a cultural phenomenon.
The circulation of these works was like a double-edged sword.
On one hand, they might break the delicate balance between Adepti and mortals, sparking unnecessary controversy or even panic. If the populace truly believed the Archon was "synthesized" and Mora was "rock counterfeit currency," what kind of turmoil would it cause? (Though Ningguang knew it was highly unlikely anyone would believe it, what if?)
On the other hand, they might also bring Adepti and mortals closer in an unexpected way, making Liyue's culture more diverse and full of vitality.
The key lay in the scale, in the guidance.
"However, to dare to write about the Archon and Adepti in such a way..." Ningguang whispered to herself, her fingertips brushing over the startling title of "Crafting Deities," "is it pure recklessness, or... does he have something to rely on?"
She pressed a mechanism at the corner of her desk and softly instructed: "Baiwen, continue the investigation into Lovia secretly, but increase the priority. It's not about finding the author's identity, but rather keeping an eye on the scope of circulation of these works, as well as... the readers' reactions."
She wanted to know if the people of Liyue Harbor would treat these as harmless jokes or if they would read something else into them. This itself was an excellent window for observing the direction of the hearts of Liyue's people.
"Additionally," Ningguang mused for a moment and added, "regarding certain potentially inappropriate remarks, you may temporarily ignore them."
She wanted to see what kind of peculiar fruits could grow in Liyue's cultural soil under official tacit consent.
Perhaps this mysterious "Lovia" could help her stir these waters, allowing Liyue to glow with a more vivid and diverse vitality in the era of "human rule."
Ningguang walked to the window, overlooking the brightly lit Liyue Harbor beneath her feet, a meaningful curve hooking at the corner of her mouth.
"Lovia... just who are you? Where will your pen point next?"
Liyue Harbor in the night remained bustling and prosperous, while within this Jade Chamber suspended in the sky, Tianquan Star Ningguang had already reserved a special spot for this mysterious anonymous author that required long-term observation.
The weight of these seemingly playful words might not be any lighter than diplomatic documents from Snezhnaya.
"After all," Ningguang's mouth curved back into a smile of one who had everything under control, "an author who can write about the Archon 'reimbursing bills' and 'buying discounted goods,' the Conqueror of Demons 'failing to grow tall due to insomnia,' and Guoba being a 'hidden God of Cookery' is, in himself, a rare 'scenery' of Liyue Harbor, is he not?"
[Woke up to find my book on the charts, stunned.JPG]
[Gift Bonus Progress Bar: 68%]
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read + 70 advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"