"Mister Taro~"
"Since I failed the test, I admit defeat."
Stuffed full and properly watered, Mona was half-slumped in her chair, her expression a perfect fifty–fifty split between bliss and disappointment.
The genius girl had just suffered her Waterloo.
A loss was a loss; there was nothing wrong with admitting it.
It simply meant she wasn't mature enough yet and that her astrology still had huge room to grow.
"The great astrologer admits defeat?"
Sipping the clear tea Fanan had brewed, Taro looked at Mona with a half-smile.
"What a shame. Such a wonderful opportunity, and it just slipped away like that.
Does your heart hurt so much right now you can barely breathe?"
Teasing children was also part of daily life.
Especially teasing children who were both honest and talented.
The sense of achievement was immense.
"Mister Taro, there's no need to make fun of me."
Mona forced herself upright, face deadly serious.
"A little setback like this is absolutely not enough to knock me down.
It will only make me more mature and stronger.
Didn't that old hag always say so?
Coming to Liyue would let me grow by leaps and bounds.
Well, on my first day here I've already learned my first painful lesson, so next I just have to grow wiser."
"…"
This child was surprisingly optimistic.
But that made sense. Without a tough mind, you could never go far down the path of astrology.
Taro set his teacup down and smiled.
"Mona, do you still remember the core of hydromancy?"
"Of course I do."
Mona's eyes lit up as she spoke.
"The twinkling of the stars contains the myriad fates of all beings. The water's surface is but a reflection, yet the 'truth' will also appear within it.
Hydromancy, as the name suggests, is astrology that uses the reflection of the stars upon water to peer into 'fate.'
It's that old hag's proudest secret technique."
Every time hydromancy came up, Mona couldn't help feeling a little smug.
And, to be fair, she had a right to be.
"Indeed~"
Taro didn't contradict her; he followed along.
"The water's surface may only be a reflection, yet it still mirrors this world.
The idea behind hydromancy is quite good."
Barbeloth really was a genius.
No wonder she'd been invited to join the Hexenzirkel as one of its elders.
"Hehe, right?"
Seeing Taro acknowledge hydromancy, Mona's smile brightened even further.
"Not entirely~"
Taro chose that moment to pour the first bucket of cold water.
"The water's surface can reflect the truth, but it also has its limitations.
Mona, have you ever heard of mirages?"
"Mirages?"
"Of course."
Mona nodded. "If I remember correctly, that's a special kind of celestial phenomenon.
Under special conditions, scenes from far away appear again somewhere else.
It's a kind of light refraction effect, isn't it?"
As expected of someone who studied the stars—
she went straight for the essence in one breath.
"Correct."
Taro nodded slightly.
"The water's surface can reflect the truth. But if the truth is already wrapped in false appearances,
then all hydromancy can show you is that false shell wrapped around the truth.
Just like the fates of all beings in Teyvat right now."
"…"
Mona's eyes flew wide at his words.
She thought back carefully, and another term her old hag of a master had once mentioned surged up in her mind.
"Are you talking about the concept of a false sky, Mister Taro?
But I always thought that was just a hyp—"
Mid-sentence, her voice trailed off.
Back when her master had brought it up, Mona had completely treated it as nothing more than a hypothesis.
But looking at things now…
the false sky… was real?
In that instant, it felt as if a thunderclap exploded in Mona's heart.
The false sky; false reflections; the truth hidden within illusions—
The heart that had always been clear as a mirror now seemed to slowly grow hazy, shrouded in a thin mist.
Because the "sky" itself was false.
So the "truth" she saw through hydromancy… was actually a tampered, man-made version of reality?
Mona subconsciously looked down at the table in front of her.
No wonder she had lost so completely.
She hadn't even managed to part the mist, to break that false layer wrapped around the truth.
The most genuine face of the world, high above that false firmament—
she had yet to behold it at all.
When the daze passed, a blazing fighting spirit burst back to life in Mona's eyes.
The real fate of this world—that was what she desired.
She was going to be the greatest astrologer, after all.
No matter what, she had to pierce through this fog.
"Thank you for your guidance, Mister Taro.
Mona has learned a lot!"
She shot to her feet, pressing one hand over her chest and bowing.
Once upon a time, the truth had already been right in front of her.
The old hag had even pointed it out.
But she had arrogantly assumed it was only a theory.
These past years, she really had been a bit too full of herself.
It was about time she calmed down and reflected for real.
If a person couldn't even recognize their own mistakes, what right did they have to talk about improvement?
No wonder she'd been stuck in place all these years…
Turns out she had just been wandering in circles inside the fog.
"Do your best, girl.
I look forward to seeing how you grow."
Taro raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't particularly surprised.
In the original course of events, Mona had never lost herself over the idea of the false sky.
Now, naturally, she wouldn't either.
Like he'd said before:
people whose minds weren't firm would never get far, even if they learned astrology.
Because fate was often cruel.
There were plenty of people with weak hearts, but Mona wasn't one of them.
"It's good to see you fired up.
Would you like to stay here for a while as a guest?"
"Of course I would!"
Mona answered without the slightest hesitation.
The man before her was a once-in-a-millennium descender.
If she could live here, wouldn't that mean she could study every single day?
Once she pierced through the fog, wouldn't her astrology skyrocket?
Stay? She definitely had to stay.
"All right." Taro turned his head and called out. "Fanan, find a room for this future great astrologer."
"On my way."
Fanan walked slowly out of the kitchen where she'd been busy.
With a hint of helplessness, she sighed and headed for the stairs.
"Sigh, come along then, girl.
I just hope you won't regret moving in."
"…"
Mona tilted her head, then followed Fanan upstairs.
She didn't take Fanan's comment seriously at all.
Right now, she couldn't wait to live here—what was there to regret?
The two of them going up the stairs soon crossed paths with the two coming down.
"Oh, big sis, did you get your room sorted out? Heading out now?"
"Mm, we've finished tidying up. Shenhe just came down from the mountain, so we were thinking it'd be a good time to take her out to buy some toiletries and daily necessities.
Mona, why don't you come with us?"
"Eh? Together? But I…"
"You don't have to worry about Mora for the moment."
"Um… all right. Once my manuscript payment comes in, I'll pay you back."
"No rush, no rush. We've got plenty of time ahead of us."
"…"
The two who had been heading upstairs turned right around and joined the shopping squad.
"Mister Taro, we're planning to wander around the night market. Would you like to come with us?"
"I'll pass~"
Taro shook his head lightly.
"You go ahead.
Just don't stay out too late."
Every time he went out with a group of beautiful women,
they attracted far too much attention.
(End of Chapter)
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