Episode 193: Danger!! a Dying Dunyarzad
『 "Eh? Even Nahida doesn't know the reason? That's too strange!" Paimon's eyes widened, full of curiosity, as she looked at Nahida.
After all, she was the Dendro Archon of Sumeru—the Lesser Lord Kusanali.
It was truly unbelievable and perplexing that she didn't know about such a matter.
"The Sages of the Akademiya are collecting such a massive amount of dreams so hastily, at all costs," Nahida said thoughtfully. "I think there must be some big conspiracy hidden within, but unfortunately, I don't know the details."
Although it was known that the Akademiya had always been collecting people's dreams, they were now so impatient, trying every possible way to collect dreams and push that plan forward, regardless of the consequences.
Evenif Dunyarzad's body became weaker and weaker because of it, they didn't seem to care. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "Archons, the Archons of Sumeru don't seem to have much fame." ]
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "Is the Akademiya deliberately suppressing information?" ]
[ Dunyarzad Homayani (Genshin Impact): "Lesser Lord Kusanali is an Archon unknown even in Sumeru." ]
[ Dunyarzad Homayani (Genshin Impact): "The recorded Sabzeruz Festival was very grand, not as small as in the video." ]
[ Dunyarzad Homayani (Genshin Impact): "So I want to hold a grand birthday party for the Archon: the Sabzeruz Festival." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Unfortunately, the original plan still had an accident, and Dunyarzad, you are also in danger." ]
[ Eriri Spencer Sawamura (Saekano): "It was such a good birthday originally, what a pity." ]
[ Lala Satalin Deviluke (To LOVE-Ru): "If we have the chance, we can also hold a huge birthday party." ]
[ Nahida (Genshin Impact): "Thank you, everyone." ]
[ .....]
『 "By the way, Traveler, do you have any clues that can help us analyze this?"
Since even Nahida, as an Archon, didn't know the inside story, her gaze turned to Lumine.
Lumine was a member of the exploration team and might possess some unknown intelligence.
Hearing Nahida's question, Lumine thought for a moment, then recalled a scene that had repeated many times, describing it in more vivid words:
"I remember now, this scene happens every day as it draws to a close. The Grand Sage once said: 'Just do it, let's celebrate the arrival of the Archon well?'"
"Celebrate… the arrival of the Archon?" A thought flashed through Nahida's mind, full of disbelief. "No, that can't be… How could they…"
"Those people from the Akademiya are using the festival to recklessly manipulate the people of Sumeru, even disregarding their safety," Lumine said with dissatisfaction in her tone.
"No matter what their purpose is, such actions are unforgivable. Once we break the loop of the Sabzeruz Festival, we must thoroughly investigate the truth behind this."
"Those Sages of the Akademiya dare to do such things behind the back of the Archon they worship; they are too arrogant!" Paimon was also filled with anger.
Nahida sighed, uttering a helpless remark: "Because I am just the moon, and the true sun has long since disappeared." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Kaeya (Genshin Impact): "You are the moon, Klee is the runaway sun." ]
[ Kaeya (Genshin Impact): "Let's send the sun from Mondstadt to save Sumeru." ]
[ Jean (Genshin Impact): "Kaeya, don't cause trouble." ]
[ .....]
『 "Sun, moon? What kind of analogy is that?" Paimon asked, confused.
Just then, a familiar electronic sound rang out, interrupting their conversation:
"Eh? Is it time already? Well then, Nahida, we'll see you tomorrow." Paimon agreed, clearly realizing the urgency of time and directly mentioning the next day's arrangements.
"Okay, see you tomorrow. Then, I will tell you how to break this loop."
The screen suddenly darkened, and when the light reappeared, it signaled the start of a new cycle. At that moment, the two on the opposite side had also completed their previous actions, and that familiar feeling gently awakened Nahida.
"Good morning, Nahida. I remember everything now. Hmm… perhaps I should be more formal, good morning, Lesser Lord Kusanali?" Little Paimon, having regained all her memories, greeted Nahida with a touch of playfulness.
The sudden influx of massive memories and several startling pieces of news made it commendable that they could adjust their state so quickly.
However, neither of them noticed that Nahida did not respond to their words at this moment. Her gaze penetrated the crowd, fixed on the empty sickbed behind her.
That empty sickbed should have been where the weak Dunyarzad lay.
Suddenly, Nahida reached out and held her forehead, her expression unusually grave, clearly in a bad mood.
"Oh no, Nahida, why do you look so off this time?" Paimon, seeing this, anxiously flew closer to Nahida, full of worry.
Lumine, who followed closely behind, then noticed the empty sickbed, and her heart sank.
"Where's Dunyarzad? Could it be… could it be…?"
An ominous guess quietly grew in her heart, spreading like a shadow. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Kaeya (Genshin Impact): "Wait, where is Miss Dunyarzad?" ]
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "It seems it's already too late, Miss Dunyarzad's body can no longer hold on." ]
[ Nilou (Genshin Impact): "How can this be!" ]
[ .....]
『 "It looks like your guess is pretty much accurate with the situation here." Nahida noticed the change in Lumine's tone and knew that she had roughly guessed the truth.
So, she calmly nodded, confirming the undeniable fact.
"Oh no!" Paimon floated back in surprise: "You mean Dunyarzad is really gone? How is that possible? Did we arrive a step too late?"
Nahida gently shook her head, slowly explaining the reason:
"Indeed, Dunyarzad's consciousness has faded. In this dreamland, her spiritual power was ultimately difficult to sustain."
"How could this happen? Then, what about the Dunyarzad who was impersonating her? What is she? Will she also disappear?" Paimon anxiously threw out a string of questions.
"That Dunyarzad, you could say she's a puppet, but not entirely," Nahida patiently explained.
"Because the real Dunyarzad is no longer able to maintain herself and play her proper role in this dream."
"So, the dream created such a substitute, just like every flower and tree in the dream, their existence is to construct and perpetuate this dream, merely components to keep it running."
Nahida meticulously explained, revealing the secret of the "alternative" Dunyarzad's existence.
It turned out that this was just a trick the dream used to fill the void, all because Dunyarzad herself was limited in her abilities, unable to take on her proper role at this important moment of the Sabzeruz Festival, which led to the appearance of this puppet, or rather, substitute.
"But even if that person is Dunyarzad's substitute, her personality is completely different from the real Dunyarzad!" Paimon tilted her head, full of confusion.
How could a puppet specially created to fill a void have such a deviation in personality from the original?
"A puppet, of course, is a bit stiff and can't replicate the agility of a person. Its sole purpose is to complete a temporary performance."
"However, this reminds me of Dunyarzad when she was a child; she might have been quite similar to this puppet."
At this point, Nahida's memory drifted back to earlier times, when Dunyarzad's style was similar to that of this puppet.
"Mhm." Paimon, hearing this, also recalled what Dunyarzad had said long ago: "Dunyarzad truly believed she had met you in her consciousness, and that you had enlightened her. Do you really remember her from that time?"
Paimon's words brought back Nahida's memories of Dunyarzad's childhood.
"Yes, at that time, she was overly protected by her family; no one cared about her personality or thoughts, as if she lived only to delay the progress of the Eleazar on her body."
"And I merely gave her a little wisdom to rediscover life; she could also have her own self. But now, she too…"
At this point, Nahida stopped abruptly.
Her gaze fell on the empty sickbed, as if at this moment, Dunyarzad was still quietly lying there.
"To her, it meant everything. After all, you are a gentle Archon," Paimon gently comforted the little Archon's heart.
"I am still far from it, far from reaching the standard of a true Archon."
"At least, I couldn't save her. How could a qualified Archon allow their devout follower to leave with regret on the day of the Sabzeruz Festival?"
The little Archon whispered softly, full of self-reproach. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Dunyarzad Homayani (Genshin Impact): "Lesser Lord Kusanali, thank you for saving me when I was a child; that's why I'm still alive today." ]
[ Nahida (Genshin Impact): "I just did a small thing. I'm sorry, my power is too weak, I couldn't save you." ]
[ Dunyarzad Homayani (Genshin Impact): "It's okay, this is fine." ]
[ Liyue NPC: "Overthrow the Akademiya, save the Dendro Archon, save Dunyarzad!" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Overthrow the Akademiya, save the Dendro Archon, save Dunyarzad!" ]
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "Overthrow the Akademiya, save the Dendro Archon, save Dunyarzad!" ]
[ .....]
『 "Please don't beat yourself up over it, Nahida! It's the Sages' fault, and theirs alone!" Paimon said, seeing Nahida's self-reproaching expression, quickly comforting her like a little sprite eager to dispel the dark clouds.
However, the little Archon, hearing this, still argued: "I, I am just doing an objective analysis, not blaming myself. I am still far from being a competent Archon." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Nahida (Genshin Impact): "I am indeed not a qualified Archon." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "I think you are already more qualified than the Anemo Archon and the Geo Archon." ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "Who is the Anemo Archon? I don't know that Archon." ]
[ Venti (Genshin Impact): "…" ]
[ Yuri Nakamura (Angel Beats): "Such a gentle Archon, I wish we had her in our world." ]
[ Tanya von Degurechaff (Youjo Senki): "+ 1" ]
[ Satou Kazuma (KonoSuba): "Look at her." ]
[ Aqua (KonoSuba): "Huh?" ]
[ .....]
『 However, Paimon quickly saw through her bravado:
"Hehe, don't be stubborn, Nahida. Even Archons have the right to be sad when something sad happens!"
With little Paimon's insight, the little Archon quietly changed the subject: "Hehe, to prevent such sacrifices from happening again, we must quickly end this cycle."
Nahida said no more, only urging the two to act.
Dunyarzad's regret was heavy enough; no new sorrow should be added here.
This was her promise to her follower. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Chika Fujiwara (Love Is War): "Exactly!" ]
[ Chika Fujiwara (Love Is War): "Let's quickly solve the cycle and save Miss Dunyarzad!" ]
[ Barbara (Genshin Impact): "May Lord Barbatos bless Dunyarzad." ]
[ .....]
『 "So what exactly should we do now?" Lumine went straight to the point.
"Although this dream of the Sabzeruz Festival is under the control of the Akasha, dreaming is a human ability, and the Akasha cannot create dreams out of thin air."
"This means there is a subject in this dream, which is someone's dream."
Nahida began to explain the escape method she promised to share yesterday.
Paimon seemed to understand, nodding: "I see, so how do we find the person who is dreaming?"
Nahida continued to guide the two on their next steps: "Since you are in this person's dream, everything here originates from their deepest consciousness."
"This means they can change everything in the dream with their imagination."
Paimon was a bit confused by this abstract concept: "Imagination? How should I understand that?"
"It means going beyond what is ordinarily seen, imagining unusual things," the little Archon gently explained.
Nahida then gave an example: "For instance, in a tavern, a waiter brings a plate of food, and you naturally assume it's a meal."
"But if you are the dream owner, knowing you are in a dream, and you imagine the plate contains gold, or Mora,"
"The dream will respond to your imagination, and you will actually see gold or Mora being served."
"However, the current subject is not aware that they are in a dream, so even if the plate is served ten thousand times, people will still naturally assume it's ordinary food."
Nahida patiently cleared Lumine's confusion. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "I love eating lots of delicious food in dreams, but every time I wake up before I get to eat it, which is really annoying." ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "Don't bite my clothes ANYMORE!!" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Did I?" ]
[ Amber (Genshin Impact): "I'm so envious, no, I should condemn you!" ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "You're acting strange, Amber." ]
[ Amber (Genshin Impact): "We're good friends, haven't slept at all." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Traveler is—" ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "The iron pot is ready." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "I don't know anything!" ]
[ Kafka (Honkai: Star Rail): "Hehehe." ]
[ .....]
『 Lumine, a bit confused, turned to Nahida and asked, "After we find the subject, what should we do?"
At this moment, they seemed a bit lost, only knowing that they needed to find the dream's owner, but once found, they had no idea what to do next. So, asking Nahida for the subsequent plan of action became an urgent matter.
Nahida pondered for a moment, then stated the next strategy: "The key is to make the person in the dream realize they are in a dream. Once they wake up, the dream will dissipate, and our loop will be broken."
Paimon quickly raised a question: "But where do we find this subject? What if everyone could be the one? Wouldn't that be like looking for a needle in a haystack?"
Considering the bustling crowds in Sumeru City, checking house by house, the arduousness of this task was self-evident.
And this was just the tip of the iceberg; even greater challenges lay ahead.
"Even if we miraculously find them, making that person realize they're dreaming on their own would probably be even harder, wouldn't it?" Paimon continued. "Nahida, you also mentioned before that you can't simply and roughly wake someone who is sleepwalking."
Carelessly waking someone from a dream could cause them to confuse reality with the dream, just as Nahida guided them, experiencing a period of disorientation.
Facing this problem, Nahida could only helplessly admit: "It is indeed not easy, but currently, only you two can do this. All previous efforts were for this moment—to find that key person and break the cycle here."
"Alright then."
And at this crucial juncture, Nahida unexpectedly dropped a bombshell.
"Next, I'm afraid I also need to leave the city."
Paimon looked at Nahida, asking with a face full of doubt:
"Leave the city? Could it be that Nahida also wants to venture into that bizarre dream world like the Traveler?"
Outside the city, that unknown realm remained full of mysteries.
Even after Lumine entered and exited several times, she couldn't dig up many new clues.
Now, Nahida actually had the idea of going to that strange space?
Nahida herself said:
"Yes, I want to try and see, perhaps there's still a glimmer of hope."
"Don't you two dally either, set off quickly. Dreams should be wonderful and splendid, full of surprises; this endless cycle should come to an end."
With that, Nahida did not hesitate, turning and leaving the two.
At this moment, only the two were left looking at each other.
They exchanged glances, sighing in unison.
"Oh, it's really hard to let go. We've already made such a big step, but Dunyarzad still…"
"Dunyarzad, such a good person, with such simple wishes, yet fate loves to play tricks."
Paimon hung her little head, her mood heavy.
Even Lumine seemed a bit disheartened at this moment.
"I feel like I've suddenly lost all my energy."
"That's right, our initial motivation wasn't it to save Dunyarzad?" Paimon recalled their original intention, then encouraged Lumine. 』
『 .....』