Episode 191: The Truth Outside Sumeru City is Actually Countless Strange Spaces
『 "What? Isn't this just an Akasha Terminal?" Paimon blurted out, seeing that the small device in Nahida's hand looked exactly like the Akasha Terminals hanging on their own ears.
This thing was clearly an Akasha Terminal. Although it could transmit messages and such, it didn't seem capable of retaining any important information…
Let alone in this baffling virtual space they were currently in—could this little gadget be reliable?
Both of them were muttering similar doubts in their hearts…
Just as they were filled with suspicion, Nahida had already begun to explain while holding the object:
"I made a few modifications to it. The Akasha Terminal already had the function of transmitting information.
What I tweaked earlier just allows it to be directed to any arbitrary node." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Dunyarzad Homayani (Genshin Impact): "Lesser Lord Kusanali truly possesses great wisdom." ]
[ Tighnari (Genshin Impact): "The Akasha Terminal can be modified in such a way? That is truly interesting. It allows for better recording and preservation of necessary data." ]
[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "Even if it can record information, can it record that strange situation outside?" ]
[ Nahida (Genshin Impact): "About that, I am not entirely sure either. I can only place my hope that the future me is thinking along the same lines." ]
[ Dunyarzad Homayani (Genshin Impact): "It will definitely be fine. After all, you are Lesser Lord Kusanali, our God of Wisdom in Sumeru." ]
[ Nahida (Genshin Impact): "Thank you." ]
[ Dehya (Genshin Impact): "Aside from those pedantic Sages in the Akademiya, everyone else is striving to improve!" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Do you believe that?" ]
[ Dehya (Genshin Impact): ".....Okay, I don't believe it." ]
[ .....]
『 "Wow!" Paimon's eyes lit up as she looked at Nahida. "That actually works? Nahida, you really know the Akasha inside out! So, this means we can use it to save important information, right?"
"Yes, yes, that's correct. I've got the information storage covered, and the operation is simple. However, regarding the user status and signal issues when used outside the city, I can't make any guarantees." Nahida nodded, not forgetting to explain the limitations.
But in the eyes of the two, this small flaw was negligible; it was a treasure worth trying.
"How will we know if it works if we don't try? The initiative is in our hands now!"
Lumine expressed the same view.
With the matter settled, the two prepared to set off.
Paimon shouted with full fighting spirit: "Then it's decided! This time, let's expose those idle busybodies by their tails together!"
With this recording artifact, they no longer feared losing their memories after leaving the city.
Once they uncovered the Akademiya's conspiracy and its method of operation, they could take action and completely destroy this scheme…
Not long after, they bid farewell to Nahida and arrived once again at that familiar corner of the wall.
Just as they were about to depart, Lumine reminded Paimon again: "This time, you still have to stay behind, okay?" 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Traveler, you're making me stay behind again." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "You must promise never to be separated from me in the future!" ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "I know." ]
[ .....]
『 "Ah! Right, let's do that then." Paimon quickly snapped out of it, whispering to Lumine with a hint of timidity in her voice: "Although after yesterday, I'm a little less worried, my heart is still super unaccustomed to this feeling of being separated from you."…
"Paimon, see you tomorrow then." Before setting off, Lumine gently said goodbye to Paimon.
She also had no certainty in her heart whether this outing would successfully gather valuable information. If it failed, that answer, which was so close yet so out of reach, would be truly anxiety-inducing.
Little Paimon rubbed her eyes and bid farewell to Lumine with a bit of grievance: "Alright, Traveler, let's meet tomorrow."
As soon as the words fell, Lumine made a clean turn, vaulted over the city wall, and gradually disappeared from Paimon's line of sight, leaving behind a faint trace of reluctance. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Kaeya (Genshin Impact): "The Traveler is as bold as ever, daring to try anything." ]
[ Pallad (Genshin Impact): "Thanks to the Traveler in the past, I managed to avoid so many dangers." ]
[ Pallad (Genshin Impact): "As a member of the Adventurers' Guild, I need to double my efforts too!" ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "I advise you not to work too hard. I don't want to keep receiving commissions to save you. Can't you even beat a Slime?" ]
[ Jack (Genshin Impact): "Did Mr. Pallad encounter some powerful Slime?" ]
[ Pallad (Genshin Impact): "...." ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "I don't know how to reply to that." ]
[ Kaeya (Genshin Impact): "Hahaha, Jack, do your best." ]
[ .....]
『 The screen suddenly went dark, and the sands of time pulled everyone back to the here and now.
Paimon was slowly recounting to Lumine all the twists and turns they had experienced.
"And that is our entire adventure up to this point," Paimon concluded.
After listening, Lumine's eyes still flickered with a trace of uncertainty: "Are you sure that the information just now was really left by me after I left the city?"
She urgently needed to confirm it again, her tone carrying a hint of disbelief.
Seeing this, Nahida gently explained to Lumine: "That's right. Although the signal received was intermittent and mixed with interference, I did indeed gather two segments of information you sent from outside the city."
Paimon couldn't hold back her curiosity and said anxiously: "Now that you know what's going on, let's hurry up and play that message to see what exactly happened!"
Lumine was equally eager to solve the mystery and understand what kind of message she had left behind.
Thus, Nahida nodded slightly and began to use her power.
With Nahida's assistance, Lumine and Paimon felt as if they were thrown into a realistic film projection.
Scene after scene, vivid and lifelike.
In the projection, the figure of the Traveler, Lumine, moved slowly. The device in her hand became her partner in conversation as she described the surrounding scenery while walking: …
"...Can't go back... There are countless spaces here. Our Sabzeruz Festival in Sumeru City is just one of them..."
"...I've entered another space... Before me are flowing sandstone and howling fish... Impossible and surreal sights..."
"...All these spaces are empty except for the occasional ones that contain mute puppets rather than people... I can't sense any human presence..."』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Utaha Kasumigaoka (Saekano): "The information in this one is simply too massive." ]
[ Utaha Kasumigaoka (Saekano): "What exactly is the wondrous spectacle of the world outside?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "I… I'm a little scared." ]
[ Tighnari (Genshin Impact): "I have never seen this world in any books at all." ]
[ Xiangling (Genshin Impact): "Isn't this something that only happens when dreaming?" ]
[ Tighnari (Genshin Impact): "Is this the world of dreams? But don't dreams just repeat like the daytime?" ]
[ Collei (Genshin Impact): "Master, have you ever dreamed?" ]
[ Tighnari (Genshin Impact): "Of course I have! How could I not have? Dreaming is just fluffy //" ]
[ .....]
『 Hearing this, Little Paimon suddenly slapped her forehead, looking somewhat annoyed: "That's a lot of information! It sounds like after leaving Sumeru City, you arrived outside of this space?"
"But, clearly looking from inside the city to the outside, the scenery is completely normal. It's truly incredible. Moreover, it sounds like the interiors of the other spaces are all very weird."
The two were completely confused after listening, their minds full of question marks.
Why was the scenery outside so vastly different from what was seen from inside the city?
Why were there so many strange, bizarre, and distinct spaces outside?
Why were those spaces filled with such grotesque things?
Just at this moment of heavy doubt, Nahida took out another item and said to the two: "I have one more piece of information here. It is the final message received just last night."…
As Nahida displayed the new information, not only the two of them, but everyone around saw a completely different set of images emerge before their eyes, as if opening the door to a new world.
In that image, Lumine once again appeared vividly before the crowd in the form of a projection.
At this moment, she was preparing to reveal the final key piece of information.
"...These spaces have been disappearing one after the other... Absorbed by something like a sun in the sky..."
"beep ...And now, even the final space has also disappeared..."
"...Behind me, a lot of spaces just appeared again from thin air... I get it now! Those spaces are actually—buzz."
The speech came to an abrupt halt; Lumine's voice suddenly vanished. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "So, Traveler, what you wanted to say was probably that those spaces are actually all dreams?" ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "It seems so." ]….
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "Congratulations, Traveler, you are one step closer to the truth!" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Cheering for the Traveler!" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Soon, you can escape this hateful samsara dream and arrive at a new DAY!!" ]
[ Tsugikuni Yoriichi (Demon Slayer): "Keep going, escape this nightmare." ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "Traveler, have you considered becoming my assistant? A private one!" ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "Thanks for your kindness, but I still have my own goal." ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "Find my brother and beat him up!" ]
[ .....]
" In Between "
Aether, who was standing on a platform in the Abyss, holding a meeting, suddenly felt a chill down his spine for some unknown reason, a somewhat familiar feeling!
( Translator-kun: Wait, is Aether not in the chat group? )
.....
『 Back in the original space, in front of that familiar hut.
Before Lumine and Nahida could react to this sudden interruption, Paimon, on the side, could no longer hold back and became agitated.
"Aiya! That's so annoying! What is this situation? Why is the rest gone?"
"Traveler, what did you want to say back then? What the heck are those spaces?"
Little Paimon was full of displeasure at not being able to hear the final message.
But no matter how annoyed she was, it wouldn't help—what was gone had scattered like morning mist, and even Lumine couldn't catch a trace of it.
"I think this might be due to a specific reason—yesterday's time happened to terminate right at the end of that sentence." Nahida pondered for a moment and offered her speculation.
"Oh! I remember now." Paimon suddenly seemed to have an epiphany.
"Right, did you guys hear a prompt sound coming from the Akasha just now? Was it in reality or in the message just now?"
Facts proved that the familiar "beep" sound was exactly the scheduled reminder that restarted their lives day after day.
And Nahida was also a keen capturer of that sound: "I am certain that sound belonged to the message; it was emitted by the Akasha Terminal carried by the Traveler."
If even Nahida could hear it, that meant the sound had been recorded and preserved in some way.
The only possibility was the specially modified Akasha Terminal brought by the Traveler.
"Also, as soon as that prompt sound ended, the Traveler said the last space also disappeared."
"Traveler, what do you think? That final space, what secret does it represent?" Nahida asked, quietly waiting for Lumine's answer.
Hearing this, Lumine immediately fell into deep thought. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "We are about to get the truth that we are in a dream. I wonder how the Traveler will find the method to get out?" ]
[ .....]
『 "In my impression, every one of our 'yesterdays' ended only after this Akasha sound effect played." Lumine explained her view to Nahida after thinking for a while.
"That's right! Every day we hear that 'beep' sound, and immediately it becomes the next day. So the space we are in disappears at that very moment?" Paimon also understood Lumine's specific meaning.
"But the Traveler mentioned that new spaces were constantly emerging behind her. Every day is accompanied by numerous repetitive spaces, cycling infinitely." Nahida analyzed and narrated the new information.
Information surged toward Little Paimon like a tide, and she instantly felt extremely confused.
"Wait, wait, wait, my head is spinning. What do these spaces mean exactly?"
Her little head was filled with big question marks; too many mysteries left her overwhelmed.
Time seemed both abundant and pressing for them. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Oyama Mihari (Onimai): "Space disappearing means everyone's dream is rebooted, and then suddenly appearing again means the start of a cycle." ]
[ Oyama Mihari (Onimai): "This infinite dream is actually manifested in front of oneself in such a way." ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "I think that is exactly it." ]
[ Cyno (Genshin Impact): "So, what exactly happened to the Akasha system?" ]
[ Cyno (Genshin Impact): "The God of Wisdom created the Akasha Terminal to better exchange knowledge; it shouldn't be like this!" ]
[ .....]
『 Just as Paimon was racking her brain with dizzying thoughts, Nahida threw out a novel analogy.
"No matter how tragic the Archon War was back then, it was merely a game where a group of gods fought for seven seats in a great hall." Nahida sighed lightly and continued:
"And the bizarre scenes happening before your eyes might just be revealing a tiny secret."
Nahida looked at the two with a slightly serious expression. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "The Archon War… is this analogy really appropriate?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Comparing the Archon War of the past to a game of musical chairs." ]
[ .....]
『 "The Archon War? Are you using that as an analogy now? That really is a serious and rare comparison!"
"Hehe, a secret…" Nahida smiled faintly but didn't intend to explain further.
Paimon, who wanted to ask more, was interrupted by the sudden movement of the silent Lumine—she propped her forehead with her hand, seeming to have a headache.
"Let me be quiet. I need some time to organize my thoughts."
After speaking, Lumine turned with a grave expression and left their small circle.
Seeing this, Paimon hurriedly followed. She didn't want to be separated from the Traveler for even a second. After all, having been separated for a long time, Paimon secretly swore never to let history repeat itself.
Thus, Paimon followed Lumine all the way to that familiar old bench in Sumeru City.
Upon arriving, Lumine sat down abruptly, not forgetting to instruct Paimon to let her think quietly for a while.
Seeing this, Paimon decided to sit obediently by the side and not disturb Lumine anymore. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "This is the first time I've seen the Traveler thinking so deeply." ]
[ Enjou (Genshin Impact): "Thinking is the best companion." ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "Before this, it was also the first time I saw Paimon crying so hard. Paimon can actually be this well-behaved." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Isn't it because I was afraid you wouldn't want me anymore!" ]
[ .....]
『 Just like that, Lumine sat alone on the bench, slowly sorting through the various pieces of information she had recently obtained.
Whether the information was right or wrong, or temporarily useless, she reviewed it all one by one.
At this time, she just stood there quietly (in her mind), immersed in her own thoughts.
The sky gradually darkened, and time quietly slipped away.
Just then, a figure familiar beyond belief quietly approached and came to their side.
" The Dance of Sabzeruz is about to begin. I have to go over there."
Dunyarzad had arrived beside them at some point, and to the contemplating Lumine, she once again spoke those words that had been repeated countless times.
"The Dance of Sabzeruz? Is it already time?"
Lumine suddenly snapped back to reality, looking at Dunyarzad before her in surprise.
She hadn't expected to be meditating here for so long.
What she found even more incredible was that during this long period, Little Paimon hadn't run over to disturb her. This was truly a rare occurrence. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "The Traveler has been thinking for a whole day. I wonder how the thinking went." ]
[ Sawamura Spencer Eriri (Saekano): "To actually be able to sit here alone and think for so long." ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "I think I have a clue." ]
[ Nahida (Genshin Impact): "Very impressive, Traveler. You are ready to make the final summary from such little information." ]
[ .....]