After those captives were sacrificed, nothing happened.
No sweet rain fell from the heavens, no divine miracle manifested; the totem pole continued to stand in silent stoicism.
Were their lives not lost in vain? Columbina felt a stagnant sense of regret. Perhaps she should have done something just now to save them.
She sighed silently, drifting over the newly turned earth at the edge of the valley, hovering there.
She extended her senses downward, penetrating the dry surface soil.
The feedback she received made her body stiffen slightly.
Below lay more than just the freshly buried corpses. In the deeper layers of soil were stacks upon stacks of human remains. Many had completely turned to white bone, mixed with the ochre-red soil; some were still covered in fragments of clothing or remnants of flesh that had not yet fully rotted. The quantity exceeded her imagination.
Sacrifices had been conducted many times. This was a graveyard that had been used repeatedly.
Columbina's regret was replaced by a colder sense of powerlessness. She understood that even if she had acted to save those few people just now, others would certainly have been dragged here to become new sacrifices.
Her thoughts drifted further. On this vast, crimson land, there were many tribes like this one. The same struggle for resources, the same violent conflicts, the same horrific sacrifices—she feared this was happening in more than just this one place.
Was all of this because of the dragons? Because those powerful creatures occupied most of the fertile land and water sources, squeezing these humans to the brink of survival, forcing them to kill each other for the most basic resources, and then use sacrifice to pray for a sliver of a chance at life?
Flee from here? To the east lay only the boundless desert, which would be no better than here.
She thought of Mondstadt. The people there had also lived under the shadow of a powerful force, struggling to survive, before finally raising a rebellion. This land seemed to be experiencing a similar prelude. This similarity gave rise to an impulse in her heart to do something.
However, Coppelia had explicitly said that there was no need to pay attention to the war here, as humanity would eventually defeat the Dragon race. Her own intervention seemed unlikely to have much impact on that destined outcome.
Yet, the other half of the authority she wanted to retrieve was in the hands of the Dragon race, and the dragons needed to be defeated by the humans here. The thing she wanted could only be obtained by relying on the power of these people. If she just stood by and did nothing, she would feel... uneasy in her heart.
But what if she got too deeply involved with the humans here? Would she fall into complex entanglements, helping only to make things worse, wasting too much time and energy, to the point where she could not fulfill her promise to accompany Coppelia on her travels?
Two opposing thoughts tugged at her mind, plunging her into conflict.
She hovered quietly over the valley for a long time.
After repeated weighing of pros and cons, she made a decision: limited intervention. The majority of her time would be used to accompany Coppelia and realize that promised journey. The remaining fragmented time could be used to provide whatever help lay within her power to the people of Natlan.
Although she could not throw herself wholeheartedly into this war that had not yet erupted, at least she could do something to slightly quell that unease in her heart.
"Let's do it this way," she whispered to herself.
She took one last look around the edge of the valley where countless bones were buried. The wind whipped up dry dust, brushing past the hideous dragon head carving on the totem pole, emitting bursts of sobbing sounds.
She lingered no longer; her figure rose steeply upward, rapidly flying away from this valley soaked in death and despair.
For the next period of time, Columbina's figure frequently appeared in the sky above the canyons and plains of eastern Natlan.
She investigated those scattered tribes more meticulously, observing their lives and assessing their strength.
However, the more she saw, the deeper the doubts in her heart grew.
These tribes, struggling to survive on barren land and ready to come to blows over a mouthful of water—whether in terms of organization, equipment, or individual combat power—did not look like they could engage in a frontal war with the powerful Dragon race.
Would the war really break out soon? Had that hero named "Xbalanque" perhaps not been born yet?
Doubts aside, she did not give up immediately. Perhaps she was just searching in the wrong direction.
She had not yet searched the underground.
Perhaps the humans who truly possessed the power to confront the Dragon race did not live on the surface, where they were easily monitored by dragons.
Could they be like the dragons in that sea of fog, having opened up their own hidden spaces underground, slowly accumulating strength there?
Columbina adjusted her direction. She no longer focused on those conspicuous settlements on the surface, but began to search carefully along the deeper parts of the valleys and the bottoms of steep rock walls for any hidden crevices, caves, or traces of artificial excavation that might lead underground.
Columbina had intended to use the power of the Ley Lines to search for traces of humans underground more quickly.
But the state of the Ley Lines in Natlan was extremely special. She could perceive the flow of the Ley Lines, like dark rivers surging deep underground, yet it was difficult to establish a stable connection with them. Some kind of obstruction lay across them, as if the Ley Lines of this land had long been firmly controlled by another more powerful, ancient existence, rejecting outside probing.
She had to abandon the shortcut and adopt the most primitive method, searching inch by inch. Relying on her own vast spatial perception capabilities and the top-down perspective brought by hovering flight, her search efficiency was still not low.
Before long, deep inside a massive ochre-red mountain, her senses captured something unusual.
It was not a natural cavity in the rock strata; it had obvious traces of artificial modification.
She floated above that mountain, observing the deep valley below and the surrounding terrain. Rugged strange rocks, dried-up gullies, eerie holes eroded by wind on the rock walls... She confirmed that she had never set foot in this area during her previous explorations.
Just in the interval of this observation, she suddenly realized that the surrounding light had become extremely dim. Looking up, she found that the sun had long since sunk below the distant volcanoes. The sky retained only a smear of afterglow, a mix of dark purple and orange-red, and the twilight was like a tide, rapidly swallowing the crimson earth.
Columbina withdrew the thought of continuing her exploration.
"Time to go back..." she whispered, her gaze sweeping one last time over the massive mountain hiding secrets. "I'll come back to take a look tomorrow."
*
Court of the Silver Moon.
Coppelia took off the loose, ill-fitting black robe she had obtained from the Khaenri'ahn.
She changed into her previous clothes. That exquisite dress with a black base outlined by golden patterns, along with white stockings.
She stood at the edge of the sea of flowers, slightly lifting the hem of her skirt on both sides, lowering her head to carefully examine her current image.
"It's alright," she breathed a sigh of relief. "My figure hasn't changed much; overall, it still fits."
She let down the skirt, her fingers unconsciously stroking the position on the front of the dress near her abdomen. There was a straight opening about a few centimeters long, the edges neat—a trace left by a sharp blade.
This was the mark left on the clothes that day in the rainforest, when she was pierced through the body from behind by that white-haired Khaenri'ah swordswoman. It was the only flaw on this exquisite outfit.
What was slightly comforting was that the sword hole was unbiased, opening vertically right in the center of the dress, unexpectedly not destroying the rigorous symmetry of the clothes' cut and pattern.
"It's not particularly ugly," she said to herself. "Let's leave it like this; I'm too lazy to mend it."
It wasn't that she truly didn't care, but rather that the material of this garment was extremely special, beyond what ordinary needle and thread could handle. The last time her mechanical body was damaged, it was Cloud Retainer who had taken action to repair it. She thought that the adeptus might also have a way to restore this dress. However, just for a hole that didn't affect wearing it at all, to specifically go visit an adeptus? She felt it wasn't necessary.
Her gaze moved downward, landing on the brand-new black leather shoes on her feet. The previous pair no longer fit. This pair was something Columbina had traded for from Mondstadt using some specialty fruits found in Natlan. The style of the shoes matched her dress unexpectedly well.
After scrutinizing her clothes, Coppelia raised her hands, quietly examining them in the pure white light emitted by the Moon Spirits.
The majority of the Abyss power in her body had been cleared away; that explosive pressure that had felt like it would burst her open at any moment had disappeared. At this moment, she finally had enough leeway and mental energy to try controlling the Abyss power in her body more precisely, guiding it to perform more subtle flow and transformation.
She experimented with her right hand first. She guided that power to infuse beneath the skin and flesh of her right hand, changing its nature.
After a long period of experimentation, the effect was visible to the naked eye. Her left palm still presented that sickly, lifeless pallor. But her right hand faintly revealed a healthy blood color beneath the skin, and the texture at the knuckles appeared much clearer and more natural.
With this successful attempt, she prepared to rid the skin of her entire body of that uncomfortable pallor next.
After solving the skin color problem, it would be the turn of this head of overly conspicuous white hair.
Coppelia raised her hand, brushing aside a lock of hair by her ear, twisting it with her fingers, and then gently plucking one out. She held it before her eyes, examining it carefully by the moonlight. From root to tip, this hair was completely snow-white.
She watched it quietly for two seconds, then casually stored that white hair into the storage bronze mirror.
"The previous light brown hair still looks more comfortable," she said softly, her gaze seeming to penetrate the smooth surface of the bronze mirror, seeing warm memories of the past.
*
Columbina's figure appeared out of thin air above the pale purple sea of flowers in the Court of the Silver Moon, then slowly descended, her feet touching the soft petals.
A familiar burnt aroma mixed with the scent of grease drilled into her nostrils. She had wandered the crimson lands of Natlan for a whole day, and at this moment, a hollow rumbling came from her stomach. Saliva gushed uncontrollably under her tongue.
She swallowed, her body already floating spontaneously toward the direction the aroma came from.
A bonfire leaped in a corner of the cavern hall, illuminating the surrounding area. Coppelia sat on her knees before the fire, holding a wooden stick skewered with six grilled fish in her hand, turning it unhurriedly. The skin of the fish presented an even golden-brown color under the roasting of the flames, tiny oil bubbles bursting constantly, emitting soft sizzling sounds.
Columbina got closer and immediately discovered that Coppelia had changed back into the clothes she used to wear. Familiar memories surged into her heart, and her forward-floating body paused.
Seeing Columbina approach, Coppelia raised her head, a smile appearing on her face. "You're back. Come eat."
After speaking, she put down the wooden stick, picked up a washed broad leaf the size of a small basin from the side, and spread it on the ground in front of her knees. She held one end of the stick and skillfully shook the two fish grilled on the outermost layer onto the center of the leaf.
"Let me do it." Columbina floated to the side of the fire.
She simply raised her finger slightly, and five broad leaves stacked nearby floated up on their own, spreading out flatly and neatly on the empty ground beside the fire. Then, the remaining four grilled fish also broke free from the constraints of the wooden stick, adjusting their positions in the air and landing steadily on their respective leaves.
Finally, from within the bodies of the six fish, fine white bones were extracted one by one by an invisible force. They floated neatly toward the fire, falling into the orange-red charcoal, emitting a series of crackling sounds as they quickly curled, blackened, and turned to ash.
The whole process was smooth and flowing, without a single wasted movement.
This is... too skilled. Coppelia, preparing food for Columbina for the first time after her "recovery from serious illness," paused in her movements, a trace of astonishment flashing through her eyes.
Having processed all the fish meat, Columbina floated to Coppelia's side, her body close to the other, and also sat with bent knees on the ground covered with dry grass.
Coppelia glanced at her, then lifted the broad leaf before her holding two grilled fish and offered it to Columbina. "You eat first."
Columbina reached out and took the heavy leaf. She looked down at the fragrant fish meat, then looked at Coppelia, and suddenly let out a soft "Ah."
Coppelia didn't react to what she was doing and subconsciously opened her mouth as well, letting out a confused: "Ah?"
Just in the instant her lips and teeth parted slightly, a piece of tender white fish meat on the leaf Columbina was holding detached itself, floated up, traced a short arc, and flew precisely into Coppelia's slightly open mouth.
"Mmph..." A warm sensation carrying a burnt aroma and fresh, sweet juices exploded on the tip of her tongue. Coppelia's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Columbina, completely stunned, actually forgetting to chew.
Seeing this expression on her face, Columbina couldn't help but let a string of fine, crisp laughter spill from her throat, her shoulders shaking lightly. But she quickly stopped laughing and opened her mouth as well.
Another piece of fish meat flew up from the leaf, this time falling into Columbina's own mouth.
Only then did Coppelia turn her head, her gaze falling back onto the leaping bonfire. The muscles of her cheeks began to move slowly, chewing the fish meat in her mouth that was delicious to just the right degree.
The corners of her mouth curved upward bit by bit, impossible to suppress.
*
The six grilled fish were wiped out, and the bonfire had also been extinguished, leaving only a small pile of dark red embers flickering in the darkness.
The two lay side by side on the large soft bed, a thin quilt covering them. Beneath the bedding, their bodies naturally stayed very close, shoulder against shoulder, able to feel the warmth of each other's body temperature transmitted through the fabric.
Columbina spoke first: "When do you want to start the journey?"
Coppelia did not answer immediately. After a while, her voice sounded: "Let's wait a bit longer. Wait until I turn this head of white hair back to its previous color before we go."
She paused, then added, "You should also like my previous hair color better."
Columbina turned her head and looked at Coppelia's white hair scattered on the pillow. She watched for a few seconds, turned back to look at the blurred outlines of vines hanging from the top of the cave hall, and said, "What I like is you; it has nothing to do with your hair. No matter what you become, you are you."
Hearing the word "like," Coppelia felt a wave of warmth rise in her chest.
"Thank you," she said, her voice softer than before. "However, I still quite like my original hair color."
"Mhm," Columbina responded. "I'll listen to you."
After a brief silence, she changed the subject and asked, "What other preparations do you need to make?"
"Preparations, of course there are some," Coppelia said. "But not me, it's the Moon Spirits."
"You want to bring Moon Spirits along?" Columbina's tone revealed a hint of surprise. "But there are too many of them; it might not be very convenient." She thought for a moment. "You mean to bring only one or two at a time?"
"That's not entirely what I mean," Coppelia explained. "I was thinking of training a Moon Spirit that can paint, to draw the places we visit as paintings."
Paintings... Columbina's thoughts drifted a bit further. She remembered the old man in the Mondstadt refugee camp who was very skilled at painting and architecture. He could make an eagle appear alive on the canvas, every feather seeming to tremble in the wind. Was what Coppelia wanted that kind of thing?
"The human brain," Coppelia's voice pulled her back to reality, "is still quite prone to forgetting things. But as long as memories are turned into physical paintings, there's no need to worry about not remembering them."
Columbina followed her words and began to recall. The dancing of the bonfire in the Mondstadt camp, the mountain scenery shrouded in mist and rain in Chenyu Vale, the blurred light and shadows refracted in the underwater world of Fontaine... Some details had indeed become fuzzy, like looking through frosted glass.
If there were some paintings to record the scenes from that time... perhaps I could still recall those lost details. She felt a strange stirring.
"This is a very romantic thing," she realized. "We can try it."
Coppelia laughed and turned her face to look at her. "Then, the task of communicating with the Moon Spirits is left to you?" Her smile spilled out from her voice. "They should be quite willing to help."
"No problem," Columbina replied.
____
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