In-game.
Meanwhile, somewhere else—
Layla usually came across as gentle, but when it came to people she cared about, she could be decisive and relentless. The moment Ye Luo left, she grabbed Faruzan and the two of them slipped into his small room to hunt for the letter he'd been writing.
The room wasn't big—just a desk and a wardrobe. It was only temporary lodgings; after the contest he'd be off again. The two of them searched every corner, and when nothing turned up Layla frowned.
"It's nowhere, Faruzan-senpai," she said, disappointment on her face. She couldn't believe their seniors had hidden something so well; they'd been at it a while and found nothing. In such a small room, where could he possibly have put it?
"Don't be hasty. Young folks mustn't rush." Faruzan soothed her, then peered more carefully at every nook. Perhaps Ye Luo had stashed things in a clever little spot. After a hundred years of digging through ruins, Faruzan had learned one immutable truth: stay calm. She tied her twin-tails into a high pony so her hair wouldn't get grubby and began to check under the bed.
And there—she actually dug something out.
"Oh—what's this?" Faruzan pulled out a yellowed little booklet that looked like it belonged to another age.
Layla stepped closer, squinted at the cover, and read aloud on impulse.
"The Huangdi Neijing?"
The two of them exchanged baffled looks. Who was "Huangdi"? And what on earth was a "Neijing"? They had no clue.
Curiosity won out and Faruzan flipped a page. One quick glance and she slammed the book shut—her face went flushed.
"Y-you insolent…! How dare he keep this." Her lips trembled as she tried to form the words. In that split-second peek she'd skimmed the words fangzhong shu—the "bedchamber arts."
Faruzan might be over a century old, but she was unversed in these matters and only dimly aware of their existence. Now her pristine face burned scarlet. She stuffed the booklet into the pocket of her skirt as if trying to hide it from Layla.
"This is forbidden… improper knowledge. Layla—you're too young for this," she hissed, biting back further embarrassment. Faruzan chastised herself inwardly: perhaps she'd been too lax with Ye Luo. He was an adult; having desires wasn't scandalous. The problem was—he shouldn't let people find out. This little booklet was confiscated, and he'd be made to answer for it later.
Layla blinked golden eyes and answered uncertainly, "O-okay." To her the booklet was only a hint that whatever Ye Luo collected wasn't exactly wholesome. "Senior is… bad," she thought, the pink flush on her cheeks making her look all the more adorable.
They kept searching. Strange—how could such a small room hide so much? Maybe Ye Luo had already taken whatever they were looking for with him. Faruzan sighed. If he'd brought the letter out, then the best they could do was hope Lumine would uncover what he'd been up to.
They decided to leave before he returned—getting caught snooping in a student's chamber by their tutor would be mortifying. Imagine: the Akademiya's top mentor and her junior sneaking around a male scholar's room—what would people say?
"Ah—Faruzan-senpai, look! Might this be the letter?" Layla suddenly discovered a white paper bag on the desk and opened it. Inside, to both their surprise, were a stack of photographs and a folded letter.
Their eyes met; the silence screamed awkwardness. Who would leave something so important right on the desk? It was almost comically obvious.
Layla cleared her throat and read the letter aloud, slowly and carefully, one sentence after another.
A few moments passed. Layla folded the paper, expression mixed.
No wonder he wanted to go back to Fontaine—he was, after all, from Fontaine. He'd held a high post there. So why was he in Sumeru at all?
"He's a… normal sort of abnormal person," Layla tried to joke, forcing a nervous laugh. "But… who knew he was so close with Fontaine's Hydro nobility?"
The content made her cheeks heat up. If the letter truly was written by Ye Luo from far-off Fontaine to someone there, her temperament would probably be driven to distraction. It was brazen—borderline reckless—to write to a foreign deity in such terms. Layla felt a mixture of baffled admiration and exasperation at his audacity. If she'd ever had to face a deity herself, she'd probably be tongue-tied.
That said, Ye Luo's Fontaine origins didn't bother them. Sumeru scholars traveled everywhere; research required cross-border collaboration. If relations were bad, no one would send their academics to study abroad. The only real outlier was the isolated nation of Natlan—everyone else traded and studied freely.
And Ye Luo hadn't stolen any Sumeru secrets—he'd kept a low profile. Faruzan, recovering her composure, declared she'd keep a close eye on him. Still, she tucked the letter back in place carefully—no need to make the whole affair even more awkward.
"Oh, venerable Hydro Lord," Faruzan whispered theatrically. "Layla and I did not touch anything. Every single stroke is his handwriting—nothing added. If you come to Sumeru to investigate, I shall expel him from the sect myself. Justice before kin!"
She bowed to the empty air of her own imagination, half joking, half sincere.
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