Episode 183: Unexpectedly occurring, the mysterious green figure
『 "...Observing a modest drop in the output of Jnana Energy, but values remain within normal parameters."
"Continue to monitor for variances in the data, and find the cause as soon as possible." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "Sure enough, this sound is the sound of a reboot. It seems that the Traveler and Paimon are going to experience it again." ]
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "Am I going to watch something that has already happened again?" ]
[ Oyama Mihari (Onimai): "It's been days, and it's starting all over again?" ]
[ Kaeya (Genshin Impact): "Will the Traveler still have that sense of déjà vu this time?" ]
[ Diluc (Genshin Impact): "This sounds like a plan reaching a turning point. Is it a drop in output caused by the Traveler discovering an anomaly?" ]
[ Jean (Genshin Impact): "Senior, have you noticed anything?" ]
[ .....]
『 Not long after, the screen lit up again under everyone's expectant gazes. What came into view was still that small room, and two familiar figures within it.
At this moment, they seemed frozen in time, still bearing the lazy appearance of just waking up.
"Yawn. Why does Paimon feel so tired after so much sleep?" Paimon yawned, her voice tinged with a lingering fatigue.
Even after sleeping for so long, why did she still feel so tired at this moment?
It was as if the previous rest had never happened, and she had merely dreamt a sleepless dream. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "I look even more tired in the video." ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "Is this the third cycle? No, it doesn't feel like the third time anymore." ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "From the feeling, it's more than ten times. I knew it when I saw the tavern owner's food before." ]
[ Nilou (Genshin Impact): "That Charcoal-Baked Ajilenakh Cake didn't look great before, but it actually had a unique flavor." ]
[ Nilou (Genshin Impact): "So, you two can actually give it a try." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "We don't want to try that thing." ]
[ .....]
『 Lumine, standing by, also showed an undeniable look of fatigue, her face full of confusion.
After racking her brain for a long time and finding no clues, Paimon finally decided not to dwell on it, instead nudging Lumine and eagerly saying, "I can't worry about that much. Let's hurry and meet up with Dunyarzad. We'll put aside things we can't figure out for now."
The two then stepped out of this small space and followed the path in their memory, predictably finding Dunyarzad at a familiar spot.
However, Dunyarzad at this moment seemed even weaker than usual, looking heartbreakingly haggard. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Dunyarzad looks even weaker." ]
[ Baizhu (Genshin Impact): "Another cycle has made Miss Dunyarzad's physical condition even worse." ]
[ .....]
『 "Good morning, Dunyarzad! You haven't been waiting here for a long time, have you?" Paimon repeated the same words for the third time, yet felt nothing amiss.
Meanwhile, Lumine, standing by, looked on with confusion.
"Don't worry, I just arrived a little early," Dunyarzad replied softly to Paimon's greeting, her tone carrying a hint of tenderness.
"I'm fine, really. Don't worry about me. So, shall we set off now?" Dunyarzad's gaze drifted towards the nearby market, and she suggested lightly:
"How about we go check out the stalls over there first?"
"Good idea, Dunyarzad," Paimon agreed, but then noticed Lumine's abnormality: "Huh? Traveler, what's wrong? Hey! Traveler!"
No matter how Paimon called out, Lumine seemed lost in her own thoughts, not responding at all.
"All of this feels strangely familiar," Lumine pondered, her brows slightly furrowed. "There's a strong sense of déjà vu." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Himeko (Honkai: Star Rail): "It seems that this time, the Traveler has already realized that she has experienced this before." ]
[ Xiangling (Genshin Impact): "As expected of the Traveler." ]
[ Xiangling (Genshin Impact): "This Paimon is useless. She hasn't realized it after so many times." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Xiangling, I, I, I… Hmph!" ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "Xiangling, stop bullying Paimon. What do you expect from a pet?" ]
[ Kafka (Honkai: Star Rail): "A small pet, not bad." ]
[ .....]
『 After a moment of daze, Lumine regained her composure. Just then, the voice of the Flower Knight Faris reached her ears:
"We truly owe a debt of gratitude to Miss Dehya's generosity; otherwise, our children might not have been able to celebrate a festival like the Sabzeruz Festival."
This familiar voice made Lumine turn her head abruptly, looking around.
Just like the previous scene, the Flower Knight Faris once again took out several boxes from his and placed them one by one on the table.
"Oh, by the way, would you like to try some Yalda candy? Pick whatever you like, everything on the table is for you."
Paimon's eyes lit up at the sound of it, and she eagerly prepared to make a grand selection.
But when she found that the boxes on the table were all the same color, a hint of disappointment flashed across her face: "These boxes all look the same, how am I supposed to choose?"
"Hehe, that's where the fun is," the Flower Knight Faris smiled brightly. "Each box hides different flavored candies; it all depends on your luck."
"As for the flavors, there are: Lavender Melon, Harra Fruit, Sunsettia..."
After hearing Faris describe the wonderful flavors of those candies, Paimon immediately showed her irrepressible excitement:
"Hm-hmm~ They all sound pretty tasty."
After all, Paimon didn't resist any of the flavors mentioned just now.
Even if she randomly picked anyone, she felt she could feast on it, so without further ado, Paimon decided to personally step up and pick one.
Anyway, it wouldn't be a loss no matter how she looked at it.
But then, Faris dropped a bombshell: "Oh, ...And there's also Lizard Tail and Onikabuto. too."
The Flower Knight Faris said this in a perfectly normal tone.
Paimon, who was about to make her move, suddenly widened her eyes: "Wait, what did you say? Are you sure those flavors you just mentioned are normal edible flavors?"
After receiving Faris's affirmative nod, Paimon began to struggle.
She had absolutely no confidence in her luck; otherwise, how could she have been so unlucky back then, falling into the water and being fished out by Lumine?
Thinking of this, Paimon waved her small hand and pointed to Lumine behind her: "Let Lumine choose for me instead. I want the Sunsettia flavor."
Before Lumine could respond, Faris quickly nodded in agreement, then pushed the five boxes in front of him towards Lumine:
"Of course, Miss Traveler, counting from the left, there are five boxes, number one to number five. Which number would you like to choose?"
"I choose number four."
"Oh, so decisive, so confident," the Flower Knight Faris was slightly surprised, then opened the box labeled number four: "Excellent, congratulations, Traveler, number four is indeed the Sunsettia flavored candy~!"
"Haha, I'm not bragging, her luck has always been amazing!" Paimon said proudly, her face full of self-satisfaction.
After all, she had been her travel companion for so long, especially since Paimon herself had chosen her this time, so she naturally had a significant share of the credit.
However, Lumine ignored their self-praise. In her little head, she vaguely felt that something unusual was happening.
It was as if the scene before her had already been experienced at some point, and she seemed to have tried every flavor in her memories. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Traveler, this time you were really decisive in choosing number four." ]
[ Eriri Spencer Sawamura (Saekano): "No, have you noticed that these are all different choices of memories?" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "It really is!" ]
[ Bronya (Honkai: Star Rail): "So, how many times have they experienced this?" ]
[ Hu Tao (Genshin Impact): "Traveler, do you want to place an order?" ]
[ Hu Tao (Genshin Impact): "Your journey is so dangerous, I can help you with the aftermath anytime you place an order!" ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "…" ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "Master Hu Tao, please don't make trouble." ]
[ Hu Tao (Genshin Impact): "What? I'm serious." ]
[ .....]
『 The more Lumine thought about it, the more wondrous it seemed, and she suddenly spoke:
"Number one is Lizard Tail flavor, number two is Harra Fruit flavor."
"Number three is Lavender Melon, and number five is the unique flavor of Onikabuto."
She listed all the candy flavors one by one. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Wait, have we really experienced it this many times?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Has the Traveler chosen differently every time?" ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "It seems so." ]
[ .....]
『 Lumine's sudden action confused Paimon: "Oh! I don't care about the other flavors!"
"Wait! Something's not right!" Compared to Paimon's displeasure, Faris, who had opened the boxes and verified them one by one, was even more surprised, his eyes wide: "How do you know? Could it be that you know the flavors of all five of these boxes?"
In Faris's understanding, this was absolutely impossible because he had personally sealed these candies.
Even he himself needed to carefully distinguish them to correctly categorize these candies.
And this traveler, with just one glance, could describe all the candy flavors perfectly?
"Oh my goodness! Did she really guess them all correctly?" Paimon also realized that things were not simple.
She only wanted to taste the sweetness of the Sunsettia, but she never expected the Traveler to be able to tell all the flavors like a divine calculator.
"This, this can't be explained by luck, can it?" The Flower Knight Faris looked at Lumine with a bewildered expression: "I packed all the fruits into the boxes this morning and didn't open them during that time. How did you know everything beforehand?"
"Could it be that this is the legendary mind-reading? X-ray vision? Or some kind of magical trick?" Faris found it unbelievable, his heart filled with astonishment.
"Tell me, what exactly is going on?" Paimon was equally curious, eagerly questioning Lumine: "When did you acquire this extraordinary ability, Traveler?"
After all, quickly guessing all the flavors was inherently against common sense.
And all of this was undeniably happening right before their eyes.
Therefore, Paimon also secretly speculated that Lumine might have secretly learned this magical skill but had never told her.
Facing the repeated questions from the two, Lumine did not rush to respond, but instead turned her attention to her surroundings.
Suddenly, a flicker of green flashed at the edge of her vision. "What was that just now?"
Although the figure disappeared in an instant, Lumine was sure it wasn't an illusion; it was indeed a real presence.
With this thought, Lumine didn't hesitate and resolutely decided to chase after it to investigate.
This time, with a hint of doubt in her heart, she didn't even have time to greet Dunyarzad or Paimon before directly chasing after it. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Did we just leave Dunyarzadalone there?" ]
[ .....]
『 The camera shifted, and Lumine, after tracking to a certain street corner, suddenly stopped, as if frozen in place by an invisible force.
Paimon puffed and panted as she caught up, circling her. Seeing Lumine looking around, curiosity drove her to ask a barrage of questions:
"Hey, why did you stop? Did you find anything fun? And is it appropriate for us to just slip away like this without telling Dunyarzad?"
Faced with Paimon's rapid-fire questions, Lumine said nothing, her gaze fixed on the mysterious green light ahead, her footsteps never faltering.
Paimon followed closely, and after walking for a while, still completely bewildered, she finally couldn't contain her doubts and spoke again:
"Traveler, what exactly are you looking for? What's the point of us rushing all this way?"
"That familiar feeling… and that strong sense of déjà vu." Lumine lowered her gaze in thought, her brows slightly furrowed.
Seeing Lumine's silence, Paimon couldn't help but worry: "Traveler, are you alright?"
Just then, Lumine turned abruptly, her gaze like a torch, catching a glimpse of a green shadow slowly ascending a slope not far away.
"There!" With the target locked, Lumine immediately accelerated, sprinting off.
Paimon followed closely, flying hurriedly beside Lumine, her small wings flapping with a whooshing sound.
And as the two left this hidden corner, a small bird that had been happily chirping in a birdcage behind them inexplicably vanished without a trace.
On the other side, Lumine pursued relentlessly, the green figure leading her to a residence. Strangely, several beds were placed in front of this house.
The long-sought green figure stood quietly beside one of the beds, its back to them.
Just as they were about to approach that figure…
Suddenly.
The screen flashed.
On the previously empty bed, a familiar figure appeared.
Dunyarzad. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Dunyarzad (Genshin Impact): This, is it me? ]
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "Why? She was there just now. Why is she suddenly lying here?" ]
[ Kafka (Honkai: Star Rail): "Interesting things, I feel it coming." ]
[ Utaha Kasumigaoka (Saekano): "Could it be that the one here is the real him, and the previous one was just a puppet in the script?" ]
[ Eriri Spencer Sawamura (Saekano): "Hey, why would you think that?" ]
[ Utaha Kasumigaoka (Saekano): "A novelist's intuition." ]
[ .....]
『 In the scene, a girl who should have been at the celebration appeared before them without warning.
And, she was lying so weakly on the bed here.
"Traveler, look! Isn't that Dunyarzad?" Paimon, shocked, quickly tugged at Lumine's sleeve, looking a little flustered.
Lumine finally withdrew her gaze from the green shadow, and once her sight focused clearly on the figure, she too suddenly became flustered:
"Oh! Wasn't Dunyarzad just with us?"
Fearing she had remembered something wrong, Paimon looked at Lumine for help: "What exactly is going on? How can there be two Dunyarzads?"
Lumine could only shake her head in response, because she was equally bewildered by all of this.
At this moment, the only one who could solve this mystery was the mysterious little girl in green.
"I think you already have the answer in your heart. This isn't your first time participating in the Sabzeruz Festival, is it?" The green shadow turned, facing both Lumine and Paimon, her words carrying a hint of mystery.
The sudden hit to her core made Lumine involuntarily tense up.
This subtle sense of unease was quietly creeping into her heart, and yet the person before her had spoken her feelings out loud?
As if unaware of Lumine's wariness, the green-clad person named Nahida calmly took out a strange small bottle and handed it over: "You should know how to use this, right? This thing."
"A Knowledge Capsule? Where did you get it...? What's inside?" Paimon recognized the Knowledge Capsule at a glance.
When they saw this item at Port Ormos before, they already understood it was illegal.
Not only was it difficult to use, but it was also illegal. Logically, it should be impossible for anyone to just casually take it out.
"Oh, by the way, you too, Paimon," but then, the other party suddenly called out Paimon's name directly.
"You, you actually know my name?" Paimon's eyes widened, her face full of surprise as she looked at Nahida.
A stranger, yet she could call out her name at this moment, which filled Paimon's heart with confusion.
With this doubt in their hearts, the two couldn't help but look at the Knowledge Capsule in their hands. The answer might be inside.
Finally, the two closed their eyes and began to use the Knowledge Capsule.
"Hmm, although I'm still a little uneasy, I don't know, I always feel that what I'm saying like this should be correct."
After activating the Knowledge Capsule in her hand, a huge memory quickly rushed into her mind.
A pile of astonishing memories lingered before Lumine and Paimon.
However, when they finished using the divine artifact in their hands, a hint of shock flashed in their eyes. 』
『 .....』