Angie led Ailina out of their home and onto the road to Sumeru.
Reporting to the Captain earlier had been easy. Although Angie served as the Captain's adjutant, he rarely imposed restrictions on her when there were no urgent matters.
Otherwise, Angie wouldn't have been running all over Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, and now even Sumeru.
It's safe to say no other Fatui Harbinger works as diligently as she does.
To be precise, after Angie failed to defeat the Captain in their duel, she voluntarily joined his ranks. This was a condition she had set before challenging him.
She also hoped to have opportunities to challenge the Captain again, but she never succeeded. Each time, the Captain defeated her without revealing his true strength.
Her brother, Tartaglia, had always tried to recruit her, but his skills were mediocre at best, making him little more than a sparring partner for Angie.
This time, Angie had barely set foot in Sumeru when Tartaglia followed close behind.
He thought he was being discreet, but Angie couldn't be bothered to expose him.
She didn't want to further damage his already fragile confidence.
In a small, secluded space, Jiang Mumu played games while pondering the Fatui Harbinger's global movements.
Angie's rescue of La Signora had inadvertently caused Snezhnaya to lose its half-day holiday, indirectly leading to the disappearance of the Genshin Impact promotional video, "A Winter Night's Lazzo."
Jiang Mumu had initially expected Mihoyo to create a new PV, but to her surprise, there had been no response even now.
The collective appearance of the Fatui Harbingers was no small matter. Jiang Mumu remembered that when she first played Genshin Impact, their full reveal had completely changed her perception of them.
Before, she had seen them as villains. Afterward, she realized they were simply operating from different perspectives, with no clear distinction between "good" and "evil."
Even as she lay dying in her original world, she had been saving Primogems for the gacha, determined to pull La Signora until she had drained her dry.
Tragically, her life ended prematurely, wasting over four hundred saved pulls.
The "A Winter Night's Lazzo" PV would have brought Genshin Impact even greater attention. Leaving aside other benefits, Jiang Mumu was determined to create one herself, if only to capitalize on the Emotional Feedback Points.
Since the official PV was gone, she would craft her own from scratch.
As long as it's released before the Doctor makes his official debut, it'll be fine.
By then, she'll have created the PV herself, so the emotional feedback from viewers might even belong to her!
Besides, her game is synchronized with reality, and progress is agonizingly slow. Spending a little extra time polishing the PV wouldn't be difficult.
Sumeru, Vanarana.
While Lumine and Paimon were helping Tighnari with Collei's mission, they also cleared out some Withering Zones. Upon their return, Tighnari detailed everything Lumine had seen after smelling the Spirit Borneol.
Having fully accepted Lumine, he decided to no longer keep secrets from her.
It was the first time Lumine had heard of Irminsul, and she was deeply shaken.
Unfortunately, Tighnari's understanding was limited. He suggested Lumine ask Haypasia, the eccentric woman they had encountered earlier who had ignored them.
Before seeking Haypasia, Lumine first visited Silaya.
In Collei's room, Silaya sat by the bed, reading a book.
Collei had woken up but still seemed listless.
Following Tighnari's instructions, Silaya had brewed some medicine for Collei to drink and planned to feed her later.
"I'm so sorry for troubling you like this," Collei said.
Apart from her teacher, this was the first time anyone had cared for her so attentively.
Silaya smiled gently at Collei. "We're friends. Besides, you've been taking care of me ever since I came to Vanarana. Now that I finally have a chance to return the favor, just rest and don't worry about anything."
Silaya touched Collei's forehead. It wasn't hot, confirming it was just weakness.
As long as she took her medicine on time and rested well, she'd be fine.
Lumine and Paimon came to check on Collei. Silaya knew Lumine had something she wanted to discuss, so she asked Paimon to watch over Collei while she and Lumine stepped outside.
"...About Irminsul..."
Lumine reasoned that since Silaya was so close to Lesser Lord Kusanali, no one in Sumeru could possibly know more about Irminsul. She decided to ask her directly.
Lumine's assumption was correct. No one in Sumeru understood Irminsul better than Silaya.
However, Silaya had no intention of revealing too much. Irminsul's very existence was beyond comprehension; the deeper one delved into its mysteries, the more unbelievable it seemed.
"Irminsul connects the entire continent of Teyvat, gathering all its historical information and wisdom from ancient times to the present. It records every event, piece of information, and piece of knowledge that has occurred on Teyvat. At the same time, Irminsul is connected to the Ley Line, which influences the people. If Irminsul were to malfunction or suffer an accident, not only Sumeru but all living beings across Teyvat would be affected."
"The Irminsul you saw while unconscious was likely a preserved fragment of its memory. For some unknown reason, your consciousness became connected to the Irminsul, allowing you to witness those visions..."
Silaya shared some knowledge about the Irminsul, and Lumine listened intently.
After their conversation, Lumine thanked Silaya earnestly and left with Paimon.
Silaya returned to her room and was stunned to find Collei eating ice cream and small cakes.
"Collei! How can you eat ice cream when you're sick?!"
Collei, her mouth full, could only mumble incoherently in response.
Silaya couldn't help but laugh at the sight. The socially anxious Collei actually had this side to her—it was truly... too adorable!
"Oh my, eat slowly and don't choke. But this is a one-time treat, okay?"
That night, after Collei had fallen asleep, Silaya sat at her desk.
She took out a stack of paper and began to write.
Silaya wrote with meticulous care, each word carefully considered before she put pen to paper.
The pristine white pages were filled with Silaya's handwriting, a mix of different languages. At the top, the title stood out:
...On the Salvation and Maintenance of Irminsul...
The next day, Lumine and Paimon went to find Haypasia, encountering the adorable Aranara along the way.
Before they knew it, they had stumbled into a mysterious space.
After exploring the area and defeating numerous monsters, they finally encountered the long-unseen Hydro Abyss Herald within a blooming flower.
The Hydro Abyss Herald was surprised to see Lumine, but he quickly recovered and let out a villainous laugh.
"Heh heh heh, Traveler, we meet again..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Lumine's sword flashed out, striking in an instant.
"All Abyss scum deserve to die!"