"Cartis, what do you think about turning the story of the mountain into a novel?"
At the summit camp, Hu Tao, now mostly recovered, was discussing how to publish Cartis's journal with him.
Travel journals were nothing new—plenty of adventurers had written them.
But truly interesting ones were rare, and those that actually became popular were even rarer.
Most of them ended up as vanity projects, printed in small runs so the adventurer could brag about being a "published author."
After all, these kinds of books never really sold well in bookstores.
But after personally witnessing the rise and fall of the ancient kingdom, Hu Tao wanted to treat the matter seriously—to make sure its history wouldn't be buried by snow and forgotten by time.
"A journal's too limiting. The market's already flooded with similar stuff. Even if we publish it, it's unlikely to stand out."
She leaned in, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"What if we adapt your story into a novel? You'd be the protagonist—someone who, for some mysterious reason, becomes aware of the ancient kingdom's existence. You investigate, explore, and piece together its forgotten past."
Unlike factual accounts, novels had broader appeal—they were easier to read and spread, and they tended to live on much longer.
Factual reports, on the other hand, prioritized accuracy over narrative, and usually ended up as reference material—much harder to popularize.
"To make the story more gripping, we can say you're the reincarnation of the princess's lover—the warrior. In your past life, you never fulfilled your promise to bring hope to the kingdom, and now you're bound by that regret. Life after life, you're drawn back to Dragonspine… drawn back to the ruins…"
"…Until you encounter someone who might be the princess's reincarnation, setting off a tangle of love and loss, fate and memory. In the end, you entrust your legacy to us at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and venture once more into the deadly snows with her, to uncover the truth… and share in eternal slumber."
As she spoke, Hu Tao couldn't resist slipping in a little promotion for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Cartis fell silent as he listened to her summary.
For a moment, he felt as though he truly was the warrior reborn—as though, through a haze of memory, he could see the princess smiling at him, placing a flower crown on his head, handing him a greatsword forged from Starsilver…
But he had never found the key to revive the white tree. When he returned to the mountain, everything was already gone…
It was a long time before he emerged from that dreamlike state. With a sigh, he finally spoke.
"…Let's do it your way."
Jiang Bai nudged Hu Tao with his elbow and asked quietly, "Director, do you really believe in reincarnation?"
"Who cares if it's real?" Hu Tao waved her hand dismissively. "It's a novel! It just needs twists, tension, drama—and a splash of love and heartbreak. With all that, it'll be a guaranteed hit."
"Whether reincarnation exists or not doesn't matter one bit."
But then she frowned, looking slightly troubled. "I might be okay at poetry, but writing novels really isn't my forte. We'll need someone else to take the lead…"
"If you're looking for someone good at fiction," Albedo said as he approached, carrying Klee in his arms, "I happen to know someone."
"Oh?" Hu Tao's eyes lit up. "You do?"
"Mm. Ever heard of 'The Autumn Blades of Silent Sorrow'? That was written by a friend of mine. I did the illustrations for it."
"The Autumn Blades of Silent Sorrow?" Hu Tao blinked. "Is that even sold in bookstores? Never heard of it."
"Didn't think so. Looks like it didn't do too well after all…" Albedo didn't seem surprised. He had clearly anticipated this outcome.
"The author is from Liyue, too. He just finished it not long ago—it's being sold through Wanwen Bookhouse. He sent me a letter saying almost no one's buying it. Seems he wasn't exaggerating."
"Who is it?" Hu Tao pressed.
"Xingqiu. Pen name: Zhenyu."
"Xingqiu?!" Hu Tao's jaw dropped.
When did Xingqiu write a novel?!
Wasn't he always reading business strategy manuals and philosophical texts? Could it be those were just disguises—and inside they were full of fiction?!
Unforgivable! Writing novels and not telling her?!
"So… you know him?" Albedo raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I do. Second young master of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. He and I are evenly matched when it comes to poetry," Hu Tao said with a huff.
She glanced at Jiang Bai and added for his benefit, "He's the one I mentioned before—the one who might be able to revive the ancient Guhua sword style."
"Ohh~"
Now Jiang Bai remembered. Hu Tao had said she wanted to introduce him to this friend, but in the end, they both forgot.
Hu Tao and Xingqiu had become friends through their shared love of poetry.
Whenever they had free time, they would get together to compose verses. Over time, that bond had deepened into a genuine friendship.
But truthfully, Hu Tao didn't know all that much about Xingqiu.
"Seems like it's time to pay him a visit once we get back to Liyue Harbor," Hu Tao clapped her hands, her excitement returning.
"If this street-poet and dark-alley novelist team up, we're definitely gonna write a rollercoaster of a story!"
"Want me to do the illustrations?" Albedo offered.
"Absolutely!" Hu Tao answered without hesitation.
She hadn't seen Albedo's artwork herself and didn't know how good he was—
—but if Xingqiu had chosen him to illustrate his book, then his skill must be exceptional.
"Perfect timing—I took a photo of the Skyfrost Nail earlier. We can use that for the book cover."
"Now, what should we call it…"
Hu Tao fell into deep thought.
"…How about Tales of the Snow-Covered Kingdom?" Cartis suggested softly.
"That's it! That's the name!"
And just like that, the novel was given its working title. With everything more or less decided, Hu Tao and Jiang Bai prepared to leave.
Their business here was done. Time to move on.
"We're heading off. Once Kaeya gets back, help us say goodbye," Hu Tao said.
"Mm." Albedo nodded.
He wanted to study the Skyfrost Nail a while longer—he wasn't leaving just yet.
Besides, with such a massive disturbance up here, Mondstadt would surely send someone soon to investigate. They needed to stay behind to explain what had happened.
"Bye-bye! Klee's gonna miss you guys!" Klee waved her tiny hand enthusiastically.
"Bye!" Hu Tao and Jiang Bai waved in return.
After a quick farewell, the two of them descended through the cave they'd used to come up.
"Director, let's go hunt for treasure! C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" Jiang Bai rubbed his hands together, eyes gleaming.
Now that it was just the two of them, there was no one left to split the treasure with!
Hu Tao rolled her eyes but still summoned Cartis.
When Jiang Bai made his request, Cartis seemed dazed for a moment.
It hadn't even been that long… yet the memories already felt distant, like they belonged to another life.
Much of what he knew about the mountain's hidden treasures had grown hazy.
And if more time passed, those memories might vanish altogether…
"…I don't think I'll last much longer," Cartis murmured. "But I'll take you to retrieve a sword."