Although she felt a weight lift off her shoulders after recovering her keepsake, Lovia still spent the entire day soaking in the sea.
From dawn to dusk, she spent most of her time submerged in the cool seawater. She only briefly came ashore in the afternoon when she felt a bit hungry to snack on some mineral treats before eagerly returning to the ocean.
Although the sense of depletion and imbalance in her body had begun to rapidly correct itself after recovering the quill pen, it still required some time, and Lovia's body had not yet fully recovered.
Furthermore, she felt that as a Melusine, she really needed to soak in the sea more often.
Because this "hydrotherapy" had significant effects (scratch that) was very comfortable.
Her body was washed bit by bit by the seawater, and the rich, gentle hydro element energy seemed to nourish her through her skin.
By evening, when she finally decided to leave the water and dragged her wet body back to the small house, her state was already much better than it had been in the morning.
"So comfortable..." Lovia dried herself off and changed into dry clothes, feeling much better overall.
It was worth mentioning that after she recovered her keepsake, that strange "gurgle" sound that likely came from "Father" appeared intermittently several more times while she was soaking in the sea.
It was no longer as indistinct as it had been at first, but had gradually become a tiny bit clearer. Although still incomprehensible, its sense of rhythm was stronger. Sometimes long, sometimes short, it was like a mysterious ballad sung in a language she couldn't understand.
The sound didn't cause any discomfort; instead, it made her feel more secure and relaxed in the seawater, as if she were being invisibly protected.
Lovia attributed this to some unknown connection between Melusines and "Father."
As for why she could sense it even though she was so far from Fontaine?
Since she couldn't figure it out and it caused no harm, she temporarily put it out of her mind.
Next, she ate a large bowl of "All-Encompassing Great Tonic Soup" and fell into a deep sleep.
"All-Encompassing Great Tonic Soup" was the general name she gave to the soups she stewed—nutritious and delicious, a vivid and descriptive name!
The third day, the fourth day... Lovia continued this "seawater therapy."
She spent a large amount of time in the sea every day just to make her body more comfortable, to the point where she didn't even have time to write her manuscripts.
Her body was recovering steadily, her complexion regained its rosiness, and that sickly sense of weakness was slowly leaving her.
And that mysterious "gurgle" sound also became clearer and clearer as her condition improved and her soaking time accumulated.
Until the afternoon of the fifth day.
Sunlight penetrated the clear seawater, casting bright pillars of light underwater. Lovia was suspended in the water several meters deep, her eyes closed as she rested, feeling the gentle touch of the current.
Her illness was almost completely gone, but she still decided to make time to come to the sea every day, no matter how busy she was.
A while ago, she used to swim in the sea roughly every other day, but later she hadn't gone into the ocean for a long time because she was too busy. Now, she was simply returning to her original lifestyle habits.
Just then—
That voice rang out again, but this time, it was no longer a meaningless "gurgle."
Deep in her consciousness, it condensed into a clear and gentle word.
"...Child..."
Lovia snapped her eyes open, her green pupils constricting slightly underwater from shock.
She looked around in disbelief. The seabed was still peaceful, with only colorful little fish swimming curiously around her.
Was that... an auditory hallucination just now?
That voice that echoed directly in her mind... called her... "Child"?
Just as her mind was reeling, the voice drifted over again, clearer than before, carrying a sense of kindness and concern like someone just waking from a deep sleep.
"...Come... over..."
The voice seemed to be guiding her in a certain direction—not into the sea, but further away.
Lovia remained suspended in the water, completely stunned. The doubts of the past few days now had a single rational explanation.
Her previous guess must have been correct.
It wasn't a hallucination from illness; it was a consciousness. It was Elynas, the consciousness of the Melusines' "Father"!
And she, Lovia, as a "daughter of Elynas," had received this message because of her bloodline.
Was it really... "Father" (Elynas)?
The records regarding this "Father" in the game's lore were complex and varied, but at this moment, the call echoing directly in the depths of her bloodline was undeniably real.
"Father" seemed to be calling her to go to a more fundamental place, right after she had recovered her keepsake.
Was he telling her to go back to Fontaine?
To go, or not to go?
Lovia floated in the cool seawater, a storm raging in her heart.
The kindness and concern in that voice were extremely real, directly penetrating the barrier of distance to knock on the depths of her soul.
An instinct born from her bloodline made her almost want to obey this call immediately and head toward that vague direction.
However, another stronger emotion quickly took the upper hand.
Reluctance, a bit of "selfishness" that had just settled down, and the fear of her identity as a Humanoid Melusina being exposed.
Go back? Now?
Lovia shook her head subconsciously, though there was no one in the water to see.
No, I don't want to.
The image of that small house located in a quiet corner of Liyue Harbor appeared before her eyes. It was a home she had carefully chosen and personally decorated. Dried flowers she liked were already hanging in the yard, a half-finished novel manuscript lay open on the desk, and small trinkets she'd found at the market were placed on the windowsill.
She had only just gained a haven that belonged entirely to her, and her plans for her future life had only just begun.
She had thought more than once about where she would write, where she would watch the sea, where she would taste the delicacies she created, and how she would bit by bit make this little home even cozier.
Fontaine was the homeland of the Melusines, but Liyue was the home of her soul. As her first landing point upon arriving in Teyvat, Liyue carried all her familiarity and attachment to this world.
Moreover... she wasn't sure what would happen if she went back.
She... actually really didn't want to go back.
The call seemed to perceive Lovia's resistance; it did not ring out again, nor did it carry any sense of coercion.
The surrounding seawater continued to wrap around her gently, and that invisible sense of protection did not disappear. It was just that within that deep kindness, there was now a hint of understanding and waiting.
Lovia took a deep breath of seawater (which was not uncomfortable for a Melusine) and made a decision.
Since "Father" was trying to communicate with her, then... couldn't she ask about the situation of this body?
Was she a soul transmigrator, a possessor, or did the world of Teyvat (or "Father") specially create a body for her?
Once this thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.
Yes, rather than making wild guesses on her own, why not directly ask this "Father" who shared a blood connection with her?
At least... give it a try.
Lovia closed her eyes again, trying to calm her turbulent emotions and concentrating all her mental energy. She was no longer passively receiving, but trying to send a question from her heart.
"Excuse me... is it you?" she murmured in her mind, with a hint of awe and tentative inquiry.
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