The glasses swayed gently, rims clicking together with a soft chime.
LISA remained graceful as ever — just a light sip, a faint rose-tinged smile at her lips.
"So, how's our little blonde auntie moving now?"
"She turned back toward Mondstadt," Su Xuan replied, face flat.
"She was probably worried at first that I was out to hurt her."
"Heading back to Mondstadt…?"
Lisa's expression shifted — not alarm, but something closer to regret.
"In that case, I'm afraid this isn't necessarily a good thing."
Su Xuan raised a brow.
"Isn't someone arriving to save you all supposed to be good news?"
But inwardly, he sighed.
This witch… she's probably got her eyes on me.
Lisa's rose-colored glance deepened with amusement.
"I meant it's not a good thing for you."
"If you were the only one who could resolve everything… I imagine Acting Grand Master Jean would be willing to offer anything."
Su Xuan paused.
That sounded… suspiciously like she was suggesting selling Jean off.
Lisa saw his expression shift and lightly changed the topic — as smooth as silk flowing between fingers:
"But Mondstadt's political mess isn't mine to untangle."
"So let me get to why I invited you here."
She leaned back, eyes half-lidded.
"What price must I pay to receive eternity from you?"
[Diary Updates]
[That was… unexpected.]
[I originally thought Lisa sought my help in resolving the Dragon Calamity.]
[Turns out, all she wants… is to overturn her own fate and gain eternal life.]
[Truly, the mind of a genius never follows ordinary logic.]
West Wind Knights Headquarters
Jean's breath caught.
Only now — with the diary spelling things out — did she understand Lisa's laziness.
That languid smile, that dreamy tone…
It was all a way to slow the loss of her lifespan — to delay the cost of her talent.
And though Jean felt a small, involuntary pang at Lisa not prioritizing Mondstadt…
She still understood.
If Lisa could strike a deal to save her own life, Jean wanted that for her.
Mondstadt's crisis — that was Jean's burden to carry.
Back in the quiet laboratory, Lisa tilted her head, her voice a soft purr:
"You really wound a girl, saying things like that."
"I was only thinking for your sake."
"When people are desperate, they become willing to accept anything."
"And when they're willing — all things become… smooth."
During the three days Su Xuan had stopped writing, Lisa had been studying.
Analyzing.
Tracing patterns.
She found others who held diary copies — all women.
She remembered the rules of Vision bestowal he once explained.
And then she realized:
The diary is the same.
A selection.
A guiding hand.
Not random.
Not meaningless.
And she was no fool.
"Just like the Vision," Lisa murmured, "this diary must have a price behind its gift."
[Diary Update]
[Good thing I didn't drink just now.]
[If I'd taken a sip before hearing that… I'd have sprayed it across the room.]
[In Teyvat, there are three legendary 'Drivers,' whose conversations derail reality itself.]
[#1: The Rose Witch of Mondstadt]
[#2: Miss Yun'er of Liyue Harbor]
[#3: The Pink-Furred Fox of Narukami Shrine]
[Talking to them is like being forcibly dragged into the carriage with no brakes.]
[Right now, the Rose Witch is running me over.]
A collective silence swept through every diary holder:
"...The what king?"
"What does that even mean?"
Lisa simply blinked, bemused.
She didn't understand the term — but she understood the tone.
And that was enough.
Lisa stood slowly — heels clicking — and stepped behind Su Xuan.
Her breath brushed his ear, warm, sweet.
"You said it yourself — the more I pursue knowledge, the faster my life burns away."
"So I'm asking…"
Her voice became velvet, dark and soft:
"Isn't there some method…
to slowly ease my mind away…"
"…while extracting all that unnecessary knowledge~?"
Su Xuan: "…!?"
[This is a sin!]
[The Rose Witch's carriage wheels are grinding across my face.]
Everyone else:
"…We still have no idea what he's talking about."