The vibe was like playing a horror game with "Good Luck" or "Mickey Mouse Disco" blasting—totally off. If she had a weapon, Furina might've gone ghost-hunting. Her self-address nearly shifted from "this humble one" to "this bold hero." Before, she was praying to Avalokiteshvara; now, it's Gatling Bodhisattva.
Faintly, you could hear arguing from nearby "sound equipment."
Lucian: "I said no drums!"
Venti: "Eh? But it's so fun!"
The vibe crew was exasperated, except for Barbara, whose eyes sparkled. Lord Barbatos is so kind—he must've sensed everyone's fear and used this to rally us! Can you feel it? This is Lord Barbatos's compassion! Amen!
Lucian didn't feel it. He and Venti were locked in a "waltz," hands clasped, vying for drum control like a wrist-wrestling match. Lucian thought: This old coot's hiding his strength—his bull-like power rivals Ei's! But I've got Ei's cooking with me—don't make me shove it in your mouth.
Rosalyne sighed at the bickering duo, acting like kids. Good thing they were useless anyway. Their fighting didn't drag anyone down—it actually helped. Lucian barely knew music theory; he just provided arrangements, then waved his arms "conducting" despite knowing nothing about it. Venti was an advisor but a pure nuisance during performance, insisting on drums. Their squabble was more beneficial than not. Rosalyne parted her lips and began to "sing."
Her voice was melodious, but in the test of courage's atmosphere, its ethereal quality felt downright eerie. Kazuha and Streetward Rambler played their instruments in sync, while Guizhong occasionally jingled a bell. Guizhong's attention was on Lucian—she loved watching the chaos. Without Lucian and Venti's interference, the BGM normalized.
Sadly, Furina had snapped out of it, seizing the moment when everyone was distracted to bolt. She ran fast, ruining any chance to keep scaring her. Say what you will—Lucian still helped her. After escaping the "ghost wall," Furina sprinted to the finish, completing the trial. A terrifying test turned into a track meet.
At the end, Furina sighed in relief, but looking back, her teammate was gone. Both had to finish together to win, so Furina kept hoping for Arlecchino's figure to appear. Unfortunately, Arlecchino strolled in only after the challenge time ended. Furina had run so fast she skipped Tartaglia and Hu Tao's sections, but Arlecchino got the full experience—those two were clingy, each in their own way. And she'd already been frozen by Xianyun for ages…
"Sorry, Lady Furina. I'll make it up to you with desserts," Arlecchino said apologetically.
"Desserts… Hmph, fine, I forgive you," Furina hummed happily. Winning gets rewards, and now failing does too—round it up, and I won!
By the end, few actually cleared the trial. Most lacked competitive spirit, just there for fun. But some were dead-set on winning, like Mona and Paimon. Paimon, despite being carried to victory, had the nerve to ask Lucian for a prize. Lucian didn't refuse, giving her a Wanmin Hall all-you-can-eat voucher, a deal he struck with Xiangling—friends help friends.
Keqing won too. Lucian gave her a birthday sketch of Zhongli. Keqing loved it but wouldn't admit it. She stashed it like a thief, coughing twice to cover up. Yelan, seeing this, nearly triggered her occupational instincts. This? I don't need an interrogation to know she's guilty!
Yelan, Keqing's teammate, got a reward too, but Lucian didn't know what to give her, so he offered some Ace Attorney manga. This world's one big Ace Attorney—read up, it's all knowledge. Yelan, holding the manga, was silent, feeling like she could arrest Lucian already.
Kidding—the real reward was Lucian's help. If Yelan needed assistance later, she could call on him. He might not help with cases, but he could rally people. Itto and Shinobu also got an all-you-can-eat voucher—looks like the Arataki Gang really needs meals.
Then there were Mona and Fischl. Fischl wanted to see the Plane of Euthymia, and Lucian agreed, but it'd have to wait. As for Mona, Lucian had told her if she cleared without using hydro divination, he'd give her a prophecy. Seers can't prophesy for themselves, so Mona was intrigued by Lucian's offer, though miffed. Why's he so much better than me? She demanded to follow him and observe his prophecy process. Lucian agreed.
Mona secretly clenched her fist, hyping herself up, thrilled. This might be her chance to learn Lucian's prophecy technique—no, this genius will master it at a glance! Worth achieving the "Fastest Clear Legend."
Fischl poked Mona, coughing: "Ahem, the blood and sweat of my subjects forged this realm. With adoration in their eyes and cheers in their ears, I must respond!"
She just hadn't had enough fun—Mona dragged her too fast to savor it. Having played with Fischl so long, Mona was used to her speech and got the gist.
"Can't say no to you," Mona shrugged, though she secretly wanted another round but was too shy to admit it.
Many cleared, but Zhongli and Ei's duo didn't. They were stalled too long by Sara and Xiao, who, after realizing they scared the Geo Archon and Shogun, apologized profusely, dragging past the time limit. Lucian could only say: Plan success! Could anyone else pull that off?
Shenhe and Ganyu didn't clear either—they were just sightseeing, taking their time. Surprisingly, Lucian joining the vibe crew shocked everyone, especially Yae Miko. She'd planned to scare him with the group, but Lucian was in "unselectable" mode—damn it! As expected of a seer, predicting our plan! Did you "seal" Mona's divination because you knew how powerful it was?
Lucian didn't know how strong divination was, but he knew in a team fight, you take out the healer first—and for knifing, you stab the seer.
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Character Voice · Mona: About Learning Prophecy
"Finally! I've got my chance! This time it's real—I won't be fooled again!"