The sea breeze still blew through Liyue Harbor with a salty, damp scent, but Lovia's heart was full.
Xingqiu's "embarrassment," Chongyun's peace talisman, Xiangling's rations, Shenhe's white jade pendant... these gifts from her friends made her feel that even if the road ahead was unknown, she had enough courage and warmth to face it.
The warm sensation on her antennae and tail didn't seem to have dissipated yet. She pulled her Hood tight, clutching her precious gifts, and prepared to go home.
But before she had gone far, passing by Sanyu Bookstore, Lovia unexpectedly ran into Qiqi and Yaoyao buying books inside.
What a coincidence!
Lovia peered inside.
She saw Qiqi standing on her tiptoes, struggling to reach a copy of "The Round Sparrow's Journey" on the upper shelf, her small body looking a bit strained. Meanwhile, Yaoyao was nearby, seriously asking the Bookshop owner something. She was still carrying that small basket on her back, which seemed to contain a few fresh medicinal herbs.
Lovia stopped and watched this quiet and cute scene, her sorrow at leaving fading a bit more. She hesitated for a moment before gently walking over, standing on her tiptoes and reaching out to help Qiqi take down the book. (Qiqi and Yaoyao were about 1.2 meters tall, and Lovia was similar, nearly 1.3 meters.)
"Here you go."
Qiqi slowly turned her head, her large eyes looking at Lovia as if searching through her memory bank. After a moment, she nodded and said in a slow tone, "...Thank you. You are... Lovia."
Surprise showed on Lovia's face; she hadn't expected Qiqi to remember her after meeting only once.
"It's me. Qiqi remembers me!" Lovia said with a smile.
"Mm... Memories... need to be... reinforced often." Qiqi replied seriously, taking "The Round Sparrow's Journey" with both hands and hugging it tightly to her chest.
Lovia's gaze fell on the book Qiqi was carefully holding. It was the fairy tale book she had written under the pen name "Big Hilichurl."
She thought for a moment and asked, "Does Qiqi like the story of the Round Sparrow?"
Qiqi nodded slowly and said, "Mm... Fluffy... very warm."
At that moment, Yaoyao also noticed the commotion and ran over, smiling sweetly, "Sister Lovia! What a coincidence!"
"Yaoyao, are you buying books?" Lovia looked at the two little ones, her voice unconsciously becoming softer.
"Yes!" Yaoyao nodded vigorously. "I'm helping Qiqi recognize words, and also checking if there are any new medicinal herb manuals. Qiqi is studying very hard!"
Beside her, Qiqi added in her steady, emotionless tone, "Mr. Bai... said... reading more... is good."
Looking at this duo, Lovia's heart melted.
Then, she suddenly remembered she seemed to have some small trinkets with her. She reached into her small bag and fished out two perfect Starconches. (Actually, they weren't perfect, but Lovia liked these two particularly much, so she carried them with her.)
They might like these little things.
She gently placed the Starconches into Qiqi and Yaoyao's palms.
"These are for you."
Yaoyao looked at the beautiful Starconch in her hand with surprise and thanked her happily, "Thank you, Sister Lovia!"
Qiqi looked up at Lovia, then down at the Starconch in her palm, which shimmered with a faint rainbow light. Her pupils reflected the fine patterns of the shell as she seemed to process this "gift."
After a while, she reached out with her other small hand and slowly pulled out a small notebook tied with a string and a short piece of charcoal. Under the gaze of Yaoyao and Lovia, she wrote very seriously in the notebook: Starconch, from Lovia.
The handwriting was childish.
After writing, she looked up at Lovia and said slowly, "Record it... so I... won't forget."
"Mm-hmm. Qiqi, Yaoyao." Lovia thought for a moment and decided to tell them about her departure. "I... I'm leaving Liyue in a couple of days."
Yaoyao let out an "Ah," her small face full of surprise and reluctance. "Is Sister Lovia leaving? Like the Round Sparrow in the story, going on a journey to a far-off place?"
"Yes." Lovia nodded, looking at her two little friends, her heart feeling both bitter and warm. "So I came to say goodbye to you."
Holding her book, Qiqi looked up at Lovia with her clear, large eyes. A very faint ripple seemed to pass through them, gone in an instant.
"I'll miss you!" Yaoyao pouted.
"I'll miss you too, Qiqi, Yaoyao." She gently patted each of the two girls' heads (even though she was about the same height). "But, leaving is for the sake of a better reunion."
Qiqi looked up at Lovia and nodded slowly.
Yaoyao waved her small hand, her voice sweet and full of blessings, "Sister Lovia, you must come back to see us! Have a safe journey!"
"Yes, I definitely will if I have the chance!" Lovia promised. Although the future was vague and unknown, her promise at this moment was completely sincere.
After saying a few more words to the two little ones and watching them return to their "great book-buying mission," Lovia quietly left the bookstore.
Next, it was time for herself!
[Progress Bar: 1%]
-------------------------
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!"