[Mona sighed: "...Great Mage Megistus, I thank the Prinzessin for her grace. On this day, at this hour, I offer my blessings for the Evernight Sanctum."]
Mona was the most indulgent with Fischl, the first to play along. Having spent the most time with her, she was adept at "Fischl-speak."
Led by Mona, the others also praised the Prinzessin, though their compliments weren't as "Fischl-speak" flavored.
Fischl was deeply touched—they were all playing along with her!
In the past, no one ever humored her. Adventurers only gave perfunctory responses when they needed Oz's help.
Fischl knew it was insincere, but she pretended not to, immersing herself in that "false" world.
This time, Fischl felt "truth." Tears welled up in her eyes.
But with others around, she quickly wiped them away, her speed worthy of a Thunder Vision.
In reality, Fischl and Mona's group had a great relationship, which was why she cried.
This "truth" wasn't just in the story—it was something she'd personally experienced, which was why she cried.
In the story, Fischl was also gratified but mostly flustered. She put her hands on her hips and changed the subject, challenging Mona.
Fischl suggested a swimming contest, even using provocation, implying Mona couldn't handle it.
[Mona stomped her foot: "Argh, Fischl! I've put up with you for too long!"]
When it came to swimming, Mona feared no one. The two were fully committed.
Mona wasn't just unbeatable in swimming—her cuteness was unmatched too!
Her foot-stomping looked like she was throwing a tantrum, endearing her to everyone.
In the story, while the Mondstadters were goofing off, the Liyue folks and honorary Liyue citizen were far more reliable.
Kazuha went to patrol the area, while Xinyan stayed to set up camp and planned to catch fish for dinner—utterly dependable.
Mona felt a bit embarrassed watching this. She was supposed to be the reliable one, but little Amy was to blame.
During his patrol, Kazuha actually found something unusual: Fatui.
The Fatui were like mint—sprouting up all over Teyvat. But readers hadn't expected them even in the Golden Apple Archipelago. How did they get here?
This group of Fatui showed no hostility and promised not to cause trouble, so Kazuha didn't press them.
Kazuha and the Traveler returned to the base island with this news, just as Mona and Fischl's contest ended. Fischl asked the Traveler who the swimming champion was.
The Traveler, unwilling to take sides in such a touchy matter, passed the buck to Paimon.
As Paimon struggled, Xinyan stepped in to save the day:
["Wait, wait, wait! Before that, let Paimon eat something. She's been out so long, she must be hungry."]
Xinyan's emotional intelligence was maxed out—this team would fall apart without her!
The food successfully shifted everyone's attention, and no one cared about the contest's outcome anymore.
In fact, there was a winner: 10 to 7, Mona at 10.
This was with Mona going easy. If she hadn't, she might've shut out Fischl completely.
For a proud genius like Mona to hold back in a competition showed that, despite their surface rivalry, their relationship was genuinely close.
After dinner, the Traveler went to a high point on the island to secretly contact Venti.
On the other end, Venti sneezed twice before asking:
["Hey, Lumine, missing me already?"]
Clearly, he was already working—his sneezes were from his allergies.
Barbara felt bad for him, wishing she could take his place and let the drinks be on Venti's tab.
Good thing Venti didn't know this idea, or he'd shamelessly say, "Really? Really? Then I'll leave it to you!"
In the story, Paimon explained the island's situation to Venti, mainly about encountering the Fatui.
Venti thought it was normal—aren't Fatui everywhere? It's not like they ran into Ei in the wild, so why the surprise?
His words implied he didn't want to deal with it, suggesting it wasn't a big deal.
Still, Venti reassured the Traveler and made a promise:
["Don't worry. I'm just a bard, but if you need me, just call."]
["The wind blows on land, and naturally at the seaside too. Where white clouds drift, the wind follows. So rest easy—the wind will always be with you."]
He meant that if anything went wrong, they could call him, and he'd be there. He was the wind, always by their side.
Admittedly, while Venti usually seemed unreliable, he was actually incredibly dependable and gentle.
Forget the process—just look at the results. Hasn't everything Venti's been involved in turned out well?
After talking with Venti, the Traveler felt at ease, no longer worried about the Fatui, and went to sleep peacefully.
The next day, Paimon woke the Traveler—something big had happened on the island. The wave skiff and a squirrel were talking!
Readers stayed calm. After reading prophecy books for so long, they'd seen all sorts of bizarre things.
Talking birds and cats? Seen it. Oz talks too, doesn't he? A squirrel and a wave skiff talking… wait, a skiff?
Why is a skiff talking? That's new! How does it even make sound?
It wasn't just the skiff—the island was now a mess: birds swimming, squirrels flying, and strange fragrances from unknown sources.
Future readers couldn't help but speculate: could this be the Dendro Archon's scent?
In the story, Mona used her Hydro scrying, but the results were chaotic, completely unreadable.
In reality, Mona frowned. She couldn't figure it out—this was getting serious!
Events she couldn't read were rare. Was it a god? Or that group of old hags?
Either way, if they were hostile, it wasn't good news.
Soon, she learned what the anomaly was: all the islands had changed, with scenery flickering in and out.
It was like illusions—castles, ruins, and cherry blossoms from home—no, maple trees.
These images flickered and then vanished entirely.
But Lucian had drawn them in the illustrations, so readers could vividly feel the changes. The illusions seemed overly real.
Nahida: …
This ability felt familiar. Was it in a dream? Was it… me?
Nahida wasn't sure, as she couldn't leave her place.
Could it be her? How could she affect a distant island? Was her authority manifesting there?
After some thought, Nahida considered a possibility—the Fatui.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Nahida: About the Islands
"What a wonderful story—I love it! Would you like to experience a dream? I can help you."