With the "Backpack System" in her possession, Coppelia was finally able to carry more luggage.
Before leaving, she returned to the mountain villa that was under reconstruction. She exchanged some of the perishable pastry gifts for more practical travel utensils like a stove, an iron pot, and bowls. With that done, the two finally embarked on their journey to Fontaine.
Relying on Columbina's increasingly proficient flying abilities, they easily soared over the now-calm expanse of water on the north side of Chenyu Vale. Going against the surging currents, they climbed over the continuous cascades surrounding the high seas of Fontaine, formally setting foot in this wondrous nation encircled by emerald waters.
They chose to land on a solitary peak with a sharp summit. The terrain here was high, allowing Coppelia to make a preliminary observation of any traces of civilization that might exist in this land.
However, as she looked around, the scene before her made her furrow her brows slightly.
Among the rugged, interlocking peaks, she could occasionally glimpse the ruins of cities. The architectural style of those buildings was extremely ancient, mostly constructed from massive white stones. Now, only broken walls and debris remained; many stone pillars had collapsed, and the walls were covered in cracks and moss.
The surfaces of many ruins bore obvious water lines, as well as erosion grooves formed by long-term immersion and scouring. Dried silt and the remains of shellfish shells clung to the scattered boulders.
In the past, this land had evidently suffered a terrible flood.
She cast her gaze toward the more distant slopes and valleys, searching carefully.
There was no smoke from cooking fires, no orderly fields, no roads, and certainly no sign of any living villages or towns.
As far as the eye could see, there were only wild mountain forests, silent lakes, and those mute ruins.
"This is a bit tricky..." Coppelia muttered to herself.
If they couldn't find local residents to ask for information, searching for traces of the falling meteor would be no different from looking for a needle in a haystack.
However, upon second thought, they weren't entirely without advantages. Columbina's current flying ability was impressive, allowing for large-scale searches from the air.
Those strange stones containing primordial elemental power were highly contaminating. Under Elemental Sight, their residual traces would surely be quite conspicuous.
She looked around again, this time searching for monsters.
There were only ordinary birds flying through the sky, wild boars foraging leisurely in the woods, and Blubberbeasts sunbathing by the lakeside...
Phew... She breathed a sigh of relief. At least this place wasn't crawling with Consecrated Beasts like Liyue was.
Beside her, Columbina did not ponder as many complex issues.
The weather was fine, the view was wide, and the beautiful scenery of mountains and clear water allowed her to temporarily cast aside the melancholy of parting.
Her attention was quickly attracted by some movement by the lake at the foot of the mountain.
"I want to go look at the water's edge," she said, pointing to a patch of golden sandy beach below.
Coppelia looked in the direction she pointed.
That beach was fine and flat, inhabited by a group of round, grey-blue creatures resembling seals.
The Blubberbeasts were lying lazily on the sand enjoying a sunbath, their bellies rising and falling with their breathing. In the rock crevices nearby, several large crabs with shells as bright as fire were holding up their pincers, seemingly playing some kind of game. Shells of various colors were scattered sporadically across the beach, and a few slowly moving starfish could be seen in the clear shallow water.
"I'll go with you," Coppelia nodded in agreement. Columbina had been in low spirits recently, and this was a perfect opportunity to help her relax.
Columbina happily took her and flew toward that beach. Upon landing, the fine sand felt soft, and the sound of the lake water gently lapping against the shore was relaxing.
Coppelia attempted to fulfill the duty of a "guide," pointing at the creatures and saying, "Look, that grey, chubby fellow is called a 'Blubberbeast.' They are usually very docile. That red crab over there is..."
She stuck. She scoured her memory, but aside from the iconic name of the Blubberbeast, she surprisingly couldn't recall the specific names of any other Fontaine creatures.
All those hours in the game wasted... She gave a slightly awkward dry cough and quickly changed the subject. "Ahem... Anyway, these little guys generally aren't dangerous. As long as we don't actively provoke or hurt them, they usually won't attack us either."
"I understand." Columbina nodded, her gaze already locked onto the sunbathing Blubberbeast.
She stepped forward, approaching it cautiously.
Sensing someone approaching, the Blubberbeast moved its round body, curved its neck, and looked curiously at this "unidentified object" with fluttering white clothes using its large, dark eyes.
It let out a few short, low "woo-woo" sounds. Seeing that Columbina didn't stop but came even closer, it raised its two short front flippers and began to rhythmically slap its soft white belly, making light pat, pat sounds. Its appearance was charmingly naive; it was unclear whether it was expressing friendliness or using this unique method to say, "Don't come any closer."
Seeing this, Columbina did not retreat but instead found it amusing.
She began to hum a soothing, cheerful little tune while continuing her slow approach.
The ethereal singing seemed to have an unexpected effect. The Blubberbeast's belly-slapping slowed down and eventually stopped completely. It simply widened its eyes to look at her, a slight purring sound coming from its throat; its vigilance seemed to have lowered significantly.
Columbina finally reached its side, squatted down, and tentatively reached out her hand, mimicking its previous action to gently pat its soft belly.
The Blubberbeast's body trembled slightly, but it did not dodge; instead, it tilted its head. Columbina grew bolder and began to tap rhythmically with alternating hands. The Blubberbeast seemed to enjoy this gentle patting very much, even narrowing its eyes comfortably as the purring in its throat grew louder.
Watching this harmonious scene from the side, Coppelia couldn't help but smile. She walked over and joined the ranks of "belly patters," having a great time.
Next, they tried building sandcastles, scooping starfish from the shallow water, picking up beautiful shells of various shapes on the shore, and even trying to tease those large fiery-red crabs.
Coppelia also took the opportunity to use Amos's Bow infused with Electro and Pyro elements to blast a few fish. She started a fire and used the new pot to boil a pot of fish soup. Although there weren't many seasonings, the freshness of the fish itself made Columbina eat with relish.
By this tranquil lakeside that seemed isolated from the world, they temporarily forgot the hardships of their journey. The negative emotions in Columbina's heart quietly melted away amidst this simple happiness, and her face regained a bright radiance.
After playing to her heart's content, she patted the sand off her hands with satisfaction and asked:
"Where are we going next?"
Coppelia also recovered from her relaxed state and looked into the distance:
"Let's try to find people first. If we can ask local residents for clues about 'meteors' or strange glowing stones, it will save us a lot of effort."
____
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