Silaya was somewhat surprised. She had thought she had completely escaped this so-called reincarnation, yet here she was, still trapped within it.
But... Lord Kusanali said she had lost a portion of her memories, and that this was the fourteenth time she had asked this question. Yet...
Every day, every moment she had experienced before had corresponded to her actions. If she had truly lost so many days of memories, as Lord Kusanali claimed, then what was the significance of the memories she still retained?
Silaya kept this question in mind, planning to ask the Dendro Archon about it later.
"Silaya!"
Seeing Silaya, Paimon felt an inexplicable surge of warmth and familiarity.
"Traveler and Paimon, we meet again."
Lumine nodded to Silaya in greeting before turning to the girl.
"Nahida..."
Nahida nodded slightly. "Mm, it seems you've sorted out your memories."
Paimon was about to speak when Silaya cut in with a grin. "Hehe, let me guess—you want to know why only you and the Traveler were awakened, right?"
"Uh-huh! How did you know, Silaya?"
Silaya cleared her throat. "Because this is the eighth time you've asked that question."
Nahida corrected her gently. "Actually, it's the fourteenth time."
Silaya: "..."
"Lord Kusanali, why do you remember everything so clearly?"
Nahida chuckled softly before turning to Lumine and Paimon. "Your sense of déjà vu is naturally stronger than others, isn't it? To explain... you've been blessed by Dendro Elemental Energy and possess a unique 'sensitive constitution.' The barrier between your consciousness and those memories is as thin as a sheet of paper."
"What about Silaya?" Paimon asked. "She doesn't seem affected at all."
"Silaya's constitution is very special," Nahida replied. "The Akasha can't strip her of her ability to dream, and her will is stronger than that of ordinary people. She's a very unique case."
"A unique case?" Paimon pressed. "But Chu Xi seems..."
"Chu Xi doesn't know," Silaya interjected.
"Huh? But I remember when Lumine and I went to eat Chicken-Mushroom Skewers, she seemed... Oh, I get it! Chu Xi's memories were reset too, right?"
"Where is she now?"
"At home, cooking. Want to go eat with her later?" Paimon answered casually, as if this were routine.
"What's wrong with Dunyarzad over there?" Lumine asked.
"A familiar question. This must be the thirteenth time you've asked me," Nahida said. "As you can see, she's very weak. You've probably noticed that the Dunyarzad you've been with recently is different from the 'original her'..."
"And now, that 'original her' stands before you. Moreover... time is running out."
Lumine: "So what we need to do is find a way to break this cycle as quickly as possible?"
Nahida: "Yes, exactly."
While the situation here was becoming clearer, more questions still plagued Lumine and Paimon.
"What exactly is going on? Nahida, you can awaken our memories and seem to know so much. Even you don't know the truth?"
Nahida: "All things in this world cycle endlessly... this is called 'samsara.' You and I, and everyone else, appear to be trapped in this day's 'samsara'... but the truth can only be discovered by you. If you are told the truth by another rather than realizing it yourself... your minds will suffer a tremendous shock, and the Akasha will correct itself, resetting your memories."
As she spoke, Nahida's gaze remained fixed on Silaya.
"It's just like what Silaya told you earlier. You'll forget it almost immediately, and you'll have to start over."
Silaya awkwardly scratched her head, genuinely unaware of this consequence.
Lumine: "If Paimon and I can resolve the situation after learning the truth, why can't Silaya? She's trapped in this day just like us!"
Nahida stroked her smooth chin. "An excellent question. Let Silaya answer that for you."
"Understood, Lord Kusanali."
Silaya carefully chose her words. "You might not know this, but I'm quite famous in the Akademiya. It seems the Akademiya's 'Samsara' was specifically designed to exclude me. In short, I tried to do what would restore the Samsara, but it didn't work. That's probably why telling you the truth only triggered a restart with minimal impact on your consciousness."
Silaya glanced at Nahida, who nodded slightly. "Mostly correct."
"Traveler, Paimon, I'll provide some knowledge-based assistance and subtle hints. As for the remaining time... I'll focus on slowing the progression of Dunyarzad's Eleazar.
Paimon: "Dunyarzad looks really bad. Does her condition worsen with each Sabzeruz Festival?"
Silaya walked over and patted Lumine's shoulder.
"Believe in yourself, Lumine. Think carefully. Your insights will accumulate with each iteration. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Silaya's words weren't born of indifference toward Dunyarzad. Even if Lumine ultimately failed to break free, Silaya had her own means to save Dunyarzad. Moreover, she trusted Lumine and Lord Kusanali.
Lumine began to reflect on and summarize the insights she had gained from her memories, gradually piecing them together with Nahida's guidance.
However, Nahida's assistance was limited, and the threads of cause and effect remained stubbornly disconnected.
Realizing they had exhausted their leads here, Lumine and Paimon bid farewell to Nahida and Silaya, preparing to search for clues elsewhere.
"Lord Kusanali, I'll be heading back now too~"
Instead of returning home, Silaya immediately made her way to a branch of the Great Tree at the Akademiya.
The Sabzeruz Festival's samsara wasn't a simple time loop. A day within the cycle corresponded to a day in the outside world. The key difference lay in the nightly reset, triggered by a distinct beep at a specific hour.
Though the reset wasn't comprehensive, this single mechanism provided Silaya with ample opportunity for manipulation.
The Akademiya, focused solely on guarding against her, remained oblivious to the advantage they had inadvertently granted her.
Silaya had conducted numerous experiments on her thesis here, using the sliver of authority she had stolen from the Akasha to simulate thousands of possibilities within her consciousness—or rather, her dreams.
Each time her theft of the Akasha's full power was about to be discovered, a beep would sound, and the world would reset.
Whenever her thoughts strayed into error, that same beep would jolt her awake.
Irminsul connected the entire Teyvat continent. A mental misstep wasn't merely a mistake; failing to correct it promptly could lead to catastrophic consequences.