Lin Qiu shook his head. Although he remembered the approximate location, the area in reality was quite large, making it difficult to explore it all in one day.
"I see," Navia said softly.
There was no hint of disappointment in her tone. She smiled and continued, "Then let's call it a day. Come on, let's go eat something delicious. Do you want to try the macarons I made?"
Lin Qiu's eyes lit up with anticipation upon hearing this, and he nodded without hesitation, "Yes, I do."
Putting everything else aside, the macarons Navia made were indeed delicious. In Lin Qiu's heart, they were comparable to the dishes Xiangling cooked, even better than those sold in some shops in Fontaine.
After Navia changed her clothes, the two of them left by boat, their journey filled with laughter, and returned to Lin Qiu's home.
Lin Qiu's home had now become Navia's second home.
Here, there were no Spina di Rosula members; instead, it was a small world where she could truly be herself. For Navia, it was much more relaxing here.
The two sat down, eating and chatting. On the table, besides Navia's signature macarons, there were also some simple stir-fried dishes made by Lin Qiu.
After all, no matter how delicious, dessert couldn't be the main course.
After the meal, Navia noticed the new book Lin Qiu had written on the table. She was very curious about Lin Qiu's new book.
When she came to find Lin Qiu before, this book hadn't been finished. She wondered if it was finished now.
Navia asked curiously, "Is this book, 'love and teyvat,' finished? Can I read it?"
"Of course," Lin Qiu mumbled, still chewing on a macaron.
He had already finished Venti's Story Quest, but he hadn't had time to send it to the Steam Bird Newspaper yet.
The scene paused at this moment: Lin Qiu was leisurely eating macarons handmade by Navia and drinking brewed red tea, feeling incredibly content.
Navia, meanwhile, sat beside Lin Qiu, drinking red tea and reading the novel, not caring about her ladylike image.
She leaned back slightly on the sofa. If Lin Qiu weren't eating right now, she would have wanted to put her feet on his lap, that's how comfortable she felt.
The first story Navia read was 'Carmen Dei Chapter: Act I: Should You Be Trapped in a Windless Land.'
Lumine and Paimon observed the little girl, who seemed to be happily conversing with a non-existent friend.
The little girl's behavior reminded them of their own childhood, when they too had spent countless happy hours with "imaginary friends."
"I used to play with [imaginary friends] too."
Lumine's gaze turned towards the little girl, her voice soft, as if she were speaking of her past self.
"Hmm? Is it a hallucination? Or is there really an invisible friend playing with you?" Paimon asked, missing the point.
Perhaps because he had always been with the Traveler, Paimon seemed to have never had an imaginary friend; he would share everything with the Traveler.
"Then do you remember what your [imaginary friend] looked like?" Paimon asked.
Lumine shook her head, "I can't see him anymore."
When did imaginary friends disappear? When I grew up? And when did I grow up? All these things were already forgotten.
Just one day in the past, she suddenly grew up. Some things from before began to feel childish, and the imaginary scenes from the past no longer appeared in her mind.
"Do [imaginary friends] disappear when you grow up?"
"Yes," Lumine's voice was soft.
Upon reading this, Navia couldn't help but think of her own childhood.
Her mother died very early, and her father was busy with important matters, neglecting to spend time with her, and he also left before she grew up.
She certainly knew her parents loved her, so Navia had no complaints.
However, due to her status, everyone treated her with utmost respect, which led to her not having many true friends during her upbringing.
Perhaps only Clorinde could be considered a friend.
Because she had few friends, Navia imagined distinct personalities for her dolls.
They would be her 'friends,' playing with her. Perhaps these were her imaginary friends?
Thinking about it now, after she grew up, not only did her relationship with Clorinde become strained, but she hadn't even looked at her childhood dolls in a long time.
Now, she didn't even know where they were placed.
Thinking of this, Navia looked at Lin Qiu. Many things had changed since she met Lin Qiu.
She had become a close friend with him, someone she could talk to about anything, and he had also helped her ease her relationship with Clorinde.
Now, he was even helping her find evidence to clear her father's name.
Lin, I wonder if I am your [partner] in your heart?
Navia really liked the idea of a partnership, because her parents were not only husband and wife but also partners.
"Lin," Navia couldn't help but call out softly.
Lin Qiu, who was eagerly devouring the food, looked up at Navia, crumbs still on his mouth, his gaze blank.
"Do you want some?" Lin Qiu offered a macaron to Navia.
"Pfft, eat slower, no one's going to snatch it from you."
Lin Qiu nodded and continued to gobble down his food, though his eating posture hadn't changed, his speed had indeed slowed down significantly, and he began to chew slowly.
Navia's eyes were full of smiles. She loved how Lin Qiu was unreserved in front of her; his genuine and natural demeanor made her feel incredibly comfortable.
Seeing Lin Qiu finish eating, Navia handed him a tissue, covering her pretty face with the book, as if casually continuing to read, and asked,
"Lin, do you think we are partners?"
Navia was not someone who liked to keep her thoughts hidden in her heart forever.
Lin Qiu didn't mind Navia's behavior, as this wasn't the first time. The better their relationship became, the more at ease Navia was in front of him.
Lin Qiu pondered Navia's words, recalling that when he first arrived in Fontaine, he had no reputation or power, but Navia had unconditionally trusted him then.
When his new book was released, Navia bought many copies on the first day to support him and even threw a party to celebrate for him.
When he said he wanted to challenge a Hilichurl tribe, Navia would specifically make time to accompany him, worried about any accidents.
When he was too lazy to cook, Navia would even cook for him.
Aren't partners supposed to help and support each other? Then they were naturally partners.
"Of course we are," Lin Qiu nodded affirmatively.
Navia used the book to block her pretty face from Lin Qiu's view, her heart filled with joy.
What she didn't know was that her happily wiggling little toes at that moment had already betrayed her emotions.
Fortunately, Lin Qiu didn't notice; he was busy checking the newly written Amber Story Quest for typos.
Navia secretly observed Lin Qiu, and seeing him reading, she didn't feel disappointed and also began to read the book in her hands.
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Character Voice Line · Lin Qiu: To Learn About Lin Qiu · Part II
"Thank you for raising my friendship. Since that's the case, I'll tell you some of my hobbies.
For example, I really like being treated to meals, having others cook for me, and having others... Pfft, no, that's not it."