Episode 184: The strange time reincarnation event of the Flower God's sacrifice.
『 "W—What the!?" Paimon looked around in a panic.
Lumine's eyes were filled with confusion after seeing those memories.
"So many memories, no, these are memories from the same day, repeated many times."
She saw a large number of memories in that knowledge capsule, most of which were repetitions of the same day's life.
And the owner of these memories turned out to be herself at different periods—
"For us, is today the twentieth time, or the thirtieth time? No, perhaps the fortieth time?… Paimon can barely count how many times we've experienced the Sabzeruz Festival." Paimon frantically counted on her fingers. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "Is it that terrifying? They've already lost count of how many times they've experienced the Sabzeruz Festival loop." ]
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "That's why Miss Dunyarzad's body is getting weaker and weaker in this endless loop." ]
[ Nilou (Genshin Impact): "Dunyarzad." ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "That's horrible, to have experienced so much without even realizing it." ]
[ Himeko (Honkai: Star Rail): "No, it's not necessarily without realizing it. It's precisely because each memory is reset that the current situation has arisen." ]
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "What on earth happened?" ]
[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "Did they reset everyone's memories?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "That's terrifying." ]
[ .....]
『 After receiving this knowledge, Lumine's face also showed bewilderment, but she still nodded in agreement with Paimon.
"Are we trapped in this day? If you hadn't helped, we might not have even realized it." Paimon looked gratefully at Nahida.
On the other side, Lumine, holding the knowledge capsule, asked, "So, what exactly is this knowledge capsule in our hands?"
"It seems your memories still need some. Think carefully, this isn't our first meeting. I told you about this question a long time ago."
Nahida said calmly, clarifying for Lumine.
Thus, this unexpected discovery not only uncovered a forgotten past but also made them realize that they were deep within a recurring temporal puzzle.
After hearing Nahida's words, Lumine immediately immersed herself in organizing the new memories flooding her mind. Little Paimon did the same, joining the brainstorming session with a bewildered expression.
"Hey! Let me get this straight. So, imparting knowledge is just a form of memory manifestation. In fact, it was through that contact just now that our dormant memories were awakened, right?"
After some time, Paimon understood the principle of memory recovery, but then she immediately posed another question:
"But what about the others? Where's our big group of people? Why did you only help us two awaken these memories?"
If she had the ability, shouldn't she be helping more people escape this endless loop? What could two people regaining their memories possibly change? 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Why did Nahida help us two recover our memories?" ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "By universal rationality, the Traveler is special. The Traveler was also the first to notice something was amiss before." ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "This might be the reason Nahida chose the Traveler." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "What about me?" ]
[ Venti (Genshin Impact): "Little Paimon might just be an extra. You and the Traveler are together, aren't you?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "YOU BARD!!" ].
[ Nilou (Genshin Impact): "Lesser Lord Kusanali must have also recognized your Traveler's uniqueness." ]
[ .....]
『 Nahida pondered for a moment and gave her answer: "Perhaps it's because your sense of déjà vu is inherently stronger than others. If I had to explain, I can only say that you have received special favor from the power of Dendro, coupled with particularly sensitive bodies."
"For you, those memories are like being covered by a thin veil, easily touched with a gentle flick." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Shinomiya Kaguya (Love Is War): "It's normal for Lumine, as a Traveler from another land, to be special. But is Paimon, this flying little creature, also special?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Paimon is the best guide in all of Teyvat, so of course I'm special!" ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "A guide who gets lost." ]
[ Kaeya (Genshin Impact): "Hahaha!" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "..." ]
[ .....]
『 Having sorted out the origins of the memories, Lumine's gaze involuntarily turned to Dunyarzad, who lay quietly on the bed beside her.
She, who should have been strolling through the market, now appeared abruptly here; everything seemed so incredible.
"What, what's going on with Dunyarzad over there? We just parted ways. How is she lying here now?" Lumine blinked her big eyes, her face full of curiosity as she stared at Nahida, waiting for her to reveal the mystery.
Nahida chuckled, with a hint of teasing, "Hehe, this familiar question, this is probably the seventh time you've asked me."
"As you can see, she is very weak. You should have also noticed that the Dunyarzad by your side recently is different from the original her, right?"
"And now, before your eyes is the original her, and time is running out."
Due to some special circumstances, Dunyarzad's current physical condition was terrible.
Compared to when they first met, she appeared unusually fragile, which made Lumine feel a surge of worry in her heart.
"What should I do now?" Lumine urgently asked Nahida, "Do I need to quickly find a way to change all of this?"
Faced with such a situation, action was clearly needed to break the current predicament.
What to do? To end this endless loop.
From the fragments she recalled just now, Lumine had repeated countless times to reach this moment.
She had met Nahida more than once or twice, but had never truly broken the deadlock.
"It seems you've got things sorted out now," Nahida said calmly, and then once again began her self-introduction:
"Oh, by the way, I haven't formally introduced myself yet. Hello, I'm Nahida~"
This name was already familiar in Lumine's memory, and she unconsciously nodded.
"I remember, you've introduced yourself many times before."
Each self-introduction was simple, but these repeated introductions, besides deepening the impression in her memory, did not bring about substantial progress, which was the most troublesome problem at hand.
"Great, this test passed smoothly!" Nahida looked at Lumine with a smile. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Is this some kind of test?" ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "A test to see if we've already sorted out our previous memories, I guess." ]
[ .....]
『 "What on earth happened? What's wrong with us?" Paimon anxiously looked at Nahida, her eyes darting around: "You can awaken our memories, and you seem to know everything. Don't you know the truth behind it all?"
"All things in the world cycle, repeating themselves. You and I, all of us, seem to be trapped in the cycle of this one day."
"But the truth, you'll have to dig for it yourselves. If someone else tells you directly, instead of you discovering it yourself, the psychological impact would be immense; even I can't say I could predict the outcome."
"And I will provide some help on the knowledge level and some subtle hints, and for the rest of the time, I will strive to slow down the deterioration of her Eleazar here." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Dunyarzad, her condition is worsening so severely." ]
[ Dunyarzad Homayani (Genshin Impact): "That's my future self, I'm fine now." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "I know, but it's just." ]
[ Dunyarzad Homayani (Genshin Impact): "Thank you for your concern, Paimon, I know." ]
[ .....]
『 "Dunyarzad's current state is truly worrying." Paimon glanced at the frail Dunyarzad on the bed, and a thought popped into her mind: "Does her illness worsen a little each time the Sabzeruz Festival passes?"
"If we can break out of this Sabzeruz Festival loop, perhaps I have a way." Nahida's eyes were filled with worry for Dunyarzad:
"But in this situation, she's like a little bird with most of its feathers plucked, still trying to fly high in the sky, and I can only create some air currents to make her fall later."
Paimon looked at Nahida, filled with emotion.
"Nahida, you really love using these strange analogies." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Nahida's words are as hard to understand as Zhongli's." ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "By rationality, my words are very clear." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "But you're so flowery." ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "That's the rich atmosphere of Liyue's 3700-year history." ]
[ .....]
『 In this memory replay, the two had only just met, and Nahida had already thrown out a pile of metaphors.
This unique way of speaking made Paimon feel incredibly novel.
Clearly, Nahida herself didn't think there was anything wrong with her way of speaking.
"Hehe, that's because metaphors are like magical lighthouses that illuminate new knowledge with familiar things~" Nahida said sincerely, "So, getting back to it, what do you think of this mystery so far?"
She crossed her arms, looking at the two with anticipation, as if waiting for them to reveal the answers in their hearts.
"Give me some time, I need to organize my thoughts," Lumine said, reviewing all the experiences she had gone through during this period in her mind.
At this moment, her thoughts seemed to be projected, clearly displayed before everyone.
"We have experienced countless Sabzeruz Festivals, each one like a repeating cycle."
"Are we, perhaps, in such a situation? Is the surrounding time constantly repeating within the same day?"
Thinking thus, Lumine shared her thoughts with Nahida. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "Miss Traveler, your hypothesis is somewhat reasonable, but time doesn't necessarily have to be within the same day." ]
[ .....]
『 But in those expectant eyes, Nahida regretfully shook her head: "Do you mean a time loop? You've guessed that before, too, but unfortunately, that's not the correct answer."
However, Paimon had a different opinion upon hearing this. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "Have I thought of the time loop answer more than once? How many times has this cycle been?" ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "Or rather, this isn't a cycle at all. Was that the previous sound the start-up of the mastermind's machine?" ]
[ .....]
『 "Eh? Still wrong?" Paimon rubbed her little head in confusion, "I think it makes perfect sense. Isn't time constantly looping within the same day?"
"A simple time loop cannot explain all the phenomena happening on this day. The information you have is far from enough, and unfortunately, I cannot provide any more clues." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Oyama Mihari (Onimai): "If it's a time loop, then it can reset a person's physical state." ]
[ The Herta (Honkai: Star Rail): "But Miss Dunyarzad's body in the video doesn't allow that hypothesis to stand." ]
[ Theresa (Honkai: Impact Third): "Moreover, Lumine is also experiencing mental exhaustion in these repeated loops." ]
[ .....]
『 Just as Nahida was about to explain further, Dunyarzad on the adjacent bed suddenly coughed violently: "Cough, cough, cough."
"Oh no! Dunyarzad, she…" Paimon heard the sound and anxiously turned towards the bed.
"Indeed, every day is the Sabzeruz Festival." Nahida gazed at Dunyarzad for a moment, then turned her attention to Lumine and Paimon: "But we don't have endless festivals to waste time. Therefore, please be sure to uncover the truth before the celebration ends today."
With that, Nahida focused entirely on caring for Dunyarzad.
The two behind her, their hearts heavy, silently left the room.
After all, Nahida was right. Although they had ample time, Dunyarzad's time was like fine sand in an hourglass, rapidly running out.
Such a wonderful girl, if they could only stand by helplessly and watch her light gradually extinguish, what a deeply etched, sorrowful mark that would be?
Carrying this heavy feeling, the two walked to a crossroads and began to carefully sort through all the clues they currently had.
"How about we stay here and sort out our current situation?"
"To save Dunyarzad, we must find a way out of this Sabzeruz Festival loop."
"This means that to escape this predicament, we must first understand what we have encountered and uncover the hidden truth."
"Since Nahida denied the idea of a time loop, it's clear that we've overlooked a crucial piece of information."
"Although we've tried many times in our memories, communicating with others is always better than working in isolation. Let's start with the stall owners we met before; perhaps we can find something new."
The two exchanged words, discussing the current situation animatedly.
By the time they decided on their next course of action, they had unknowingly re-entered the bustling market of the Sabzeruz Festival—the very place they had just tried to escape from.
Their primary target was the fruit and vegetable stall they had first visited, hoping the owner could provide some unusual clues. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "This is just like before, someone will always notice that something is amiss." ]
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "Hahaha, Paimon has suddenly become smart too." ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "Maybe it was during one of the previous loops that I figured it out. We've gone through countless iterations of thinking." ]
[ .....]
『 With a positive attitude, the two enthusiastically greeted the owner: "Hey, Uncle, long time no see!"
"Oh, you're back again? Where's that discerning young lady from earlier?" The owner was surprised and curious about Dunyarzad's whereabouts.
Paimon was momentarily speechless, quickly fabricating an excuse in her mind: "Uh, well, she's feeling a bit unwell, her body isn't quite right."
The owner didn't suspect anything after hearing this. After all, for them, there was no need to lie to an ordinary person like him.
"I see, I understand." Bypassing the topic, the owner's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he scrutinized the two visitors, inwardly estimating the purpose of their visit.
"So, you two want to pick out some good stuff to take home? I can guarantee that my ingredients are absolutely fresh, all picked by me from the forest yesterday."
No sooner had the owner finished speaking than Lumine, who had been quiet, suddenly asked, "Hey, have you encountered anything strange recently? Like that weird feeling, as if you're trapped in the same day?"
"Huh? What kind of question is that? Why are you asking?" The fruit and vegetable vendor looked bewildered, his brows furrowed, as if he had heard a tall tale: "I rushed back from the forest yesterday, and set up my stall first thing this morning. Everything's perfectly normal, I haven't felt anything amiss."
Seeing the owner's confusion, Paimon quickly rephrased the question: "How about you think about it again? Was yesterday really the yesterday we're talking about? Did you really come back from that forest?" 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "It seems this owner hasn't noticed anything different." ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Wasn't little Paimon the same before? The Traveler was always the first to discover it in each loop." ]
[ Kaeya (Genshin Impact): "After all, without the Traveler, this loop might truly never be discovered." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "That's right! My Traveler is amazing!" ]
[ .....]
『 "Oh dear, what kind of inexplicable metaphysical question is this again? Or are you two just daydreaming?" The owner grew even more confused, looking them up and down: "You two probably don't know, but we Sumeru people don't dream. If you really want to dream, you'll have to find someone else. Hehehe!"
As his words fell, the stall owner laughed to himself.
Accompanied by this laughter, the two, for the umpteenth time, reluctantly turned and left, re-entering the market path.
On the way, the two once again began to discuss.
"Perhaps, there's some truth to what he said. Could all of this just be a dream?" Paimon was the first to throw out her guess. 』
『 .....』