I write novels in Liyue

The orange-red lights and soft tatami mats create a soothing and tranquil atmosphere.

Fang Qiu's exceptional writing skills bring to life the scene in the book where Takekawa Hotaru clings to Gin's clothes and weeps uncontrollably.

Looking at the tender yet sorrowful words in the book, Thomas felt an overwhelming sense of oppression in his heart.

The helplessness of not being able to be together is truly heartbreaking.

Just as he was immersed in his grief, Ayato and Ayaka Kamisato walked over.

"Master, Miss."

Thomas quickly stood up and said.

"Thoma, have you finished reading the book?"

"Ayato Kamisato asked."

"There's one last thing."

Thomas said.

"I see. Then you should have seen the details of Gin's death, right?"

Ayato Kamisato narrowed his eyes and said.

"Uh... I saw it."

For some reason, being stared at by the patriarch made him feel a chill run down his spine and his scalp tingle.

"It's a really good novel, although it doesn't seem to be a ghost story, and the ending is quite sad."

Ayato Kamisato's lips curled up slightly as he said, "By the way, Thomas, let's have hot pot tonight. I heard you and Ayaka played a new hot pot game with the Travelers? Since we have some free time, why don't the three of us play it tonight?"

"Uh?"

Thomas was taken aback.

Last time, when I played the hot pot game with Miss and the Traveler, he ate almost all the strange ingredients: salted herring, undercooked violets, hot pot dumplings, and something that would freeze his tongue.

After finishing those meals, he had already seen the revolving lantern of memories.

He played it a few more times after that, and each time he was the unluckiest.

Although he really wanted to refuse.

But Ayato Kamisato's tone left him no room for refusal.

Left with no other choice, he had to agree.

"Then it's settled. Let's go out and prepare the ingredients."

"Ayato Kamisato said."

After leaving the shop in Taro-maru's care, they each went out, with Thomas heading towards the market.

He planned to prepare some more conventional ingredients.

However, Thomas was very puzzled along the way.

Just like after chatting with Xiaogong in the afternoon, he felt sharp stares all the way.

It's as if I've done something terribly wrong.

In particular, when he went to the market to buy vegetables, the vendors charged him more than double the usual price.

I've finished buying the groceries.

Just as he was puzzled and kept thinking about whether he had done anything wrong, he suddenly saw three people walking towards him from the other side of the street.

However, the lights were too dim and the distance was too far, so it was difficult to see clearly.

However, he didn't pay much attention to it, and instead continued to ponder why so many people were staring at him so fiercely.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the street...

Traveler Paimon and Shadow walked under the dim streetlights.

"Waaaaah, Gin reminds me of Hana Sanri. The only proof she left in the world, just like Gin, is a mask... I'm so sad... I need to eat lots of delicious food."

Paimon said, crying very sadly.

Hana Sanri...

Upon hearing this name, Ying felt a sense of oppression in her heart, and her purple eyes dimmed.

She remembered the Fox Abode Palace.

As time went by, she lost her true self, like Gin who was never touched in "Hotarubi no Mori e" (Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light), and lost many friends.

Just as her fate with them was unbreakable, as time passed, only endless loneliness remained.

That is why she wanted to pursue eternity that would never change.

Now, although she has resolved to move forward, these memories still make her feel extremely sad.

Just as she was reminiscing about the past, when they sat together under the cherry blossom tree admiring the cherry blossoms, and Fox Palace was telling them about interesting things in the human world, Paimon's voice rang out.

"Look, it's Thomas."

Upon hearing Paimon's voice, Shadow and Firefly both turned their gazes towards a young man walking towards them from the other end of the street.

At that moment, Thomas, under the dim streetlights, also saw the two people walking ahead of him.

It is the traveler and Paimon.

However, it's unclear whether it was just his imagination.

The traveler and Paimon looked at him with the same sharp gaze as the others.

The air was somewhat heavy.

Just as he was about to ask what he had done, he got a clear look at the man following the traveler and Paimon.

It's General Thunder!

Thomas's pupils suddenly contracted, his body abruptly stopped, and he swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

"General."

After a moment of surprise, Thomas said respectfully.

Although his God's Eye was almost confiscated by the Thunder General, as a retainer of the magistrate, he could not be any less courteous to the general.

"It's you."

Looking at the frozen young man in front of him, Ying narrowed his eyes and said.

His tone carried a hint of hostility.

His eyes were like needles.

Under the intense pressure, cold sweat almost instantly covered Thomas's back.

He even felt that General Thunder would draw his sword and kill him at any moment.

Fortunately, that overwhelming sense of oppression only lasted for a moment before receding like the tide.

General Thunder showed no intention of killing him, as if the chill from before had never existed.

"Alright, let's hurry up and go, I'm starving."

Paimon said.

Ying calmly withdrew her gaze.

Having heard many rumors along the way, and with the words of the Traveler and Paimon, it can be basically confirmed that the story of the swordsman in "Hotarubi no Mori e" was all customized by Thomas, and Fang Qiu originally intended to write a perfect ending.

Of course, she wouldn't hold a grudge against Thomas over such a trivial matter.

After exchanging a few words, the three of them left together.

Watching the three figures disappear into the distance, Thomas grew even more puzzled.

what happened?

Why does even the general look at me like that?

What exactly did I do wrong?

With this question in mind, he returned to the Wooden Leak Tea Room.

Ayaka and Ayato were already waiting for him.

On the table in front of them, a hot pot was boiling.

As soon as he sat down with the groceries, Ayato Kamisato said with a smile, "Thoma, we heard something interesting when we went out."

"What is it?"

Thomas picked up his teacup and took a sip.

“I heard passersby say that the plot involving Fang Qiu’s knife was all designed by you.”

Upon hearing Ayato Kamisato's words, Thomas spat out his tea.

Fortunately, he turned his head when he spat out the tea, otherwise it would have been very embarrassing if he had sprayed a mouthful of tea onto his master.

After Ayato Kamisato relayed the rumors he had heard, Thomas finally understood why so many people had been looking at him so sharply along the way.

No wonder I was charged twice the price when I bought groceries.

It turns out that the conversation I had with Naganohara Yoshimiya when I bought the books that afternoon led to a misunderstanding...

Even the Traveler and the Thunder General were carrying a copy of "Hotarubi no Mori e" (Into the Forest of Fireflies' Light)...

That's dangerous.

Fortunately, although General Thunder had done some unwise things, he was not incompetent.

If it were placed in Old Mondstadt.

Those old nobles, unable to find Fang Qiu, were determined to take their anger out on him.

He might just be beheaded and his head displayed to the public.

It's not his fault.

Little did he know that Fang Qiu's ghost story novel would be such a tragic tale about how monsters and humans could not be together!