Chapter 22

While Kujou Sara and Kuroda were engaged in a battle of wits over a poster, Bai Luo began browsing the light novels in the store.

Compared to the various motivational books widely circulated in Snezhnaya, the light novels here were filled with all sorts of imaginative and whimsical ideas.

The concept of reincarnating as the Raiden Shogun was relatively normal, but there were also more peculiar titles like Reincarnated as a Beetle Surrounded by Four Big Men.

One book, however, caught his attention.

It was The Autumn Sword Chronicles.

Unlike the other pristine books, this one looked worn and had obvious signs of being frequently read.

"Are you interested in this book, sir?"

Kuroda, noticing Bai Luo picking up the book, felt a pang of worry.

He quickly excused himself from his banter with Kujou Sara and hurried over.

"Is there a problem?"

Bai Luo was interested in the book mainly because he knew the person who wrote it.

But from his perspective, the novel was just average.

After all, the creativity in Teyvat couldn't compare to that of his original world.

He had been exposed to countless anime, TV dramas, and web novels for over a decade.

"This copy of The Autumn Sword Chronicles was brought back from Wanwen Bookhouse in Liyue by one of our regular customers. After the Sakoku Decree was enacted, there was no way to purchase it. This is the only copy in all of Inazuma, and it's displayed here purely as an exhibit. It's not for sale."

Originally, the book could be borrowed, but after someone nearly ruined it due to careless handling, the editors at Yae Publishing House decided to keep it as a non-sale item for display.

Only light novel authors collaborating with Yae Publishing House were allowed to read it.

They hoped someone could write a similar style of light novel.

Unfortunately, while many imitations and even plagiarized works appeared on the market, few could surpass this book.

If Bai Luo hadn't come with Kujou Sara, Kuroda would have scolded him instead of politely explaining.

"My apologies, I was being presumptuous."

Putting down The Autumn Sword Chronicles, Bai Luo wore a thoughtful expression.

"As long as the book isn't damaged, it's fine."

Kuroda carefully placed the book back in its spot, gently smoothing out the wrinkled cover.

He probably wasn't even this gentle with his own wife.

"You mentioned earlier that collaborating authors are allowed to read this book, right?"

After Kuroda had settled the book, Bai Luo spoke up.

He had an idea.

"Yes, why? Are you...?"

"If I wanted to submit a manuscript, would you reject it?"

Picking up Reincarnated as the Raiden Shogun, Bai Luo casually flipped through a few pages as he asked.

"Of course not! Yae Publishing House is the largest bookstore in Inazuma. If you dare to submit, we dare to accept."

Kuroda wasn't exaggerating.

Unless it was a particularly sensitive topic, Yae Publishing House accepted almost all submissions.

Even if you wrote a fairy tale, as long as people were willing to read it, Yae Publishing House would take it.

With that settled, Bai Luo didn't linger.

He had originally planned to visit Naganohara Fireworks.

As his first main DPS in the game, he had a soft spot for Yoimiya from the fireworks shop.

Unfortunately, Yoimiya wasn't there when Bai Luo visited, so he regretfully decided to come back another time.

Having seen everything he wanted to see and achieved his goal, Bai Luo didn't continue wandering. Instead, he returned with Kujou Sara to the vicinity of the Tenryou Commission.

After they returned, Kujou Sara bid him farewell and headed straight back to the Tenryou Commission.

She still had a lot of work to do.

Bai Luo, on the other hand, returned to his small courtyard.

The first thing he did was have his Fatui subordinates prepare paper and writing tools.

He was serious about submitting a manuscript to Yae Publishing House.

Holding a pen, Bai Luo pondered for a moment before settling on a theme.

My Raiden Shogun Can't Be This Cute.

When Bai Luo was at Yae Publishing House earlier, he hadn't been idly flipping through books.

He had specifically looked through the most popular light novels there.

He noticed that while there were some romance-themed novels, only Please, My Fox Priestess was somewhat interesting.

The rest were clichéd hero-saves-the-damsel stories.

So...

He decided to teach Inazuma's light novel industry a lesson with a unique style.

Considering that Please, My Fox Priestess had changed Yae Miko's name to Yae Masako, to avoid getting his book banned, Bai Luo also decided to change the names.

For example...

Yae Sakura.

And so, the story began.

As the eternal familiar, Yae Sakura had always been close to the Raiden Shogun.

But in recent years, their relationship seemed to have hit a snag.

From a certain point onward, the Raiden Shogun began secluding herself in Tenshukaku, refusing to see Yae Sakura.

Yae Sakura could only wait outside Tenshukaku every day with the Raiden Shogun's favorite tri-colored dango, occasionally confiding her loneliness to her familiar.

"Do you want to build a snowman?"

But in response to her familiar's invitation, the Raiden Shogun remained silent.

One day, Yae Sakura found a light novel she had never seen before at the entrance of Tenshukaku.

She asked all the guards, but no one admitted to losing it.

Was it because they were afraid of punishment? Or... Her gaze gradually shifted to the highest point in Inazuma City—Tenshukaku.

That very night, the Raiden Shogun, who hadn't left Tenshukaku in years, sought out Yae Sakura.

It turned out... The Raiden Shogun, who seemed perfect and untouchable in everyone's eyes, was actually a shut-in who loved light novels and sweets.

To keep this secret, she maintained her perfect image in front of others, not even daring to see her own familiar, Yae Sakura.

After returning to Tenshukaku, she would enter a hidden realm only she knew, living the life of a shut-in.

She left only a "shadow" in Tenshukaku to fool the servants who took care of her daily needs.

But such a life was ultimately lonely.

After Yae Sakura found the light novel, the Raiden Shogun noticed that her familiar didn't seem to dislike light novels and was even quite interested.

So she took the initiative to approach Yae Sakura, starting a new life under the guise of seeking divine counsel.

After writing several volumes, Bai Luo suddenly realized it was already dawn.

The eastern sky was beginning to lighten.

He had been writing all night.

But as he looked at his work, he felt it was all worth it.

He woke up his subordinate, who had been dozing off, and handed him the light novel he had written, asking for his opinion.

The Fatui subordinate, not daring to refuse his leader's request, began reading.

At first, he planned to praise it no matter how bad it was.

But as he turned page after page, his opinion began to change.

"So, what do you think?"

Seeing his subordinate finish the entire book in one go, Bai Luo eagerly asked.

"Sir, if you really plan to publish this, I suggest you prepare to flee Inazuma first. I'm afraid the Raiden Shogun might chop you into pieces."

After taking a deep breath, the subordinate gave his most sincere assessment.