As Lumine and Paimon arrived in Sumeru, the game in Jiang Mumu's hands progressed in sync.
The scene where Lumine, unconscious, arrived at Irminsul was identical to the one Silaya had seen in her dream while sleeping. The only difference was that there were no falling rocks in Silaya's dream.
After days of diligent collection, Jiang Mumu had already gathered over half of the required Emotional Feedback Points—perhaps due to her relentless efforts. Yet, among Teyvat's seven nations, she had only collected from two.
The players, meanwhile, could still ramp up their efforts even further.
At this rate, collecting enough Emotional Feedback wouldn't be difficult. The excess Feedback would grant her significantly more operational flexibility.
When Jiang Mumu used to play Genshin Impact, she felt deeply dissatisfied with the fates of many characters.
She had no plans or time to intervene in the tragedies of Mondstadt and Liyue. The same went for Inazuma—she only managed to save Rosalyne.
As for Sumeru, she wanted to try...
-
By this point in the main quest, Chen Xiyao was starting to feel fatigued.
She realized that Mihoyo's latest update, after a long period of silence following the Lantern Rite, contained an overwhelming amount of content. The previous arc, "Like Old Friends Reunited," would have been considered a full version update in the past.
Yet this update included not only "Like Old Friends Reunited" but also "The Morn a Thousand Roses Brings."
Crucially, "The Morn a Thousand Roses Brings" required completing the prerequisite quest, "Through Mists of Smoke and Forests Dark."
The entire main questline was undeniably lengthy. From the earlier Rola storyline that had players' blood pressure spiking to the current tranquility of the Sumeru arc, Mihoyo had masterfully controlled the pacing.
While the players were thoroughly enjoying the game, playing it non-stop had left them exhausted.
Chen Xiyao signed off after addressing her live stream audience, needing to grab a bite and take care of personal matters.
An hour later, she returned.
"Chat, let's get back to it!"
At dawn, Lumine and Paimon woke up, ready to carry out their plan to gather information from Collei.
As they left their room, they ran into Tighnari assigning daily tasks. Since Lumine and Paimon were new arrivals, Tighnari assigned them to patrol with Collei and Silaya.
Silaya had only arrived a few days earlier and had been doing light work. Occasionally, when Tighnari had time, he would take her and Collei deep into the Rainforest to teach them about various subjects.
Standing beside Collei, Silaya, though a Dendro user, had maple-leaf-yellow hair and wore predominantly white attire, a stark contrast to the Vanarana locals. This immediately caught Lumine and Paimon's attention.
From Lumine's perspective, Silaya seemed to be constantly gazing at Tighnari.
Tighnari's ears were so well-maintained—clean and fluffy. I wondered what they felt like to touch.
Silaya finally tore her gaze away from Teacher Tighnari's ears when Collei gently nudged her.
"Let's go, Silaya . We're patrolling Vanarana today and will also maintain the Statue of The Seven there."
After bidding Tighnari farewell, Silaya, Collei, Lumine, and Paimon left Vanarana together.
"Hello there, travelers from another land, and Paimon. I'm Silaya, Collei's good friend. She told me all about you last night."
Lumine replied, "Nice to meet you. I'm Lumine. You can call me Traveler or Lumine, whichever you prefer."
Paimon chimed in, "I'm Paimon, Lumine's best buddy!"
This meeting marked a significant moment, as Lumine and Paimon encountered individuals who would leave a lasting impression on them.
Despite their first meeting, Silaya and Lumine found themselves surprisingly comfortable chatting with each other.
As they talked, Paimon asked, "Collei, Silaya, what kind of Archon is the Dendro Archon?"
Collei replied, "Are you asking about Greater Lord Rukkhadevata or Lesser Lord Kusanali?"
Paimon: "Greater Lord Rukkhadevata? Oh, you mean the previous Dendro Archon!"
Collei: "That's right. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was Sumeru's first Dendro Archon. She created the Rainforest and built sand barriers along the desert's edge, granting us peaceful lives."
"To the people of Sumeru, she was a symbol of wisdom, benevolence, and omnipotence. But she vanished during a calamity centuries ago."
This timeline reminded Lumine of Raiden Makoto, who had similarly fallen in Khaenri'ah centuries ago.
Collei continued, "I heard from my teacher that the Sages later found the newborn Dendro Archon and brought her back to Sumeru. To celebrate the God's return, they named her 'Lesser Lord Kusanali' and housed her in the Sanctuary of Surasthana."
Lumine, Paimon, and even Silaya listened intently. Paimon, particularly intrigued, pressed, "Uh-huh, and then what happened?"
Collei: "And then? Uh... then I'm not sure."
Silaya took over, "Most people in Sumeru today have never seen Lesser Lord Kusanali. Even her appearance is based on interpretations of the Statues of The Seven."
Paimon was a little disappointed. It seemed meeting Lesser Lord Kusanali wouldn't be as easy as they'd hoped.
"You want to meet Lesser Lord Kusanali, don't you?"
Lumine and Paimon exchanged surprised glances with Silaya. They hadn't said anything about it, had they? How did she know?
"Hehe, it's written all over your faces, especially Paimon's! You wear your thoughts so clearly."
Paimon covered her face with her tiny hands. "Is it really that obvious?"
Silaya chuckled. "Not really. I've read a book on microexpressions. You could say I have a knack for it. Most people wouldn't notice."
Paimon felt a little better hearing that.
Silaya continued, "I often see Lord Kusanali in my dreams. If you want to meet her, I can ask her for you."
Collei knew Silaya could dream, even though she was an adult. She'd never heard of any adults in Sumeru who could dream.
But Collei wasn't one to get hung up on details. Just because she hadn't seen something didn't mean it didn't exist, so she didn't dwell on it.
"Mm-hmm, but asking questions in a dream feels a bit strange."
Silaya: "Though it's called a dream, it's not entirely a dream. Lord Kusanali is very real within them. Entering others' dreams is one of her abilities."
Paimon: "Then Silaya, do you know why Lord Kusanali hasn't shown herself in Sumeru for so long?"
Silaya shook her head. "I asked Lord Kusanali that question myself, but she didn't answer. I suspect she has her own reasons."