Check out my new translation!
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"High melodies aren't necessarily unrecognized; there will always be those who understand and accompany with clear verses—"
"Scarlet tassels flutter as the sword streaks like a meteor, pointing straight where raging tides cleanse the seas—"
Someone opened their mouth, wanting to cheer, but realized everyone was still watching the stage. Someone lifted their hands to applaud, but an old opera fan beside them shook their head.
Sure enough, this performance of [The Divine Damsel of Devastation] had not yet ended. Mr. Yun onstage continued singing: "Back then, the cranes returned, the vast world offered no refuge… and so I left alone. Today we meet again, new and old friends filling the hall, all gathered… at… this… moment."
Only then did thunderous applause erupt throughout the Jade Chamber, cheers mingling within it. To Victor Wang's ears, the loudest of all was, unsurprisingly, Paimon's voice—she was closest to the stage.
"That was amazing! If I ever get the chance, I want to learn it too!"
After the performance ended, Yun Jin stepped down from the stage and began chatting warmly with Shenhe. Victor Wang also slipped away from Yun-Han Opera Troupe's professional members and returned to the dining table.
"And Victor, I didn't expect you could play the erhu too—your performance was really good!" Paimon praised instantly.
"Oh? You could really tell which part was the erhu?"
"Uh… uh…" Paimon babbled, "Anyway, it sounded great!"
"Haha, actually the erhu part was very small. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared embarrass myself."
"What do you mean embarrass yourself?" Yun Jin shook her head and said seriously, "Paimon may not hear it, but I could hear clearly. Mr. Victor's performance just now—even our senior musicians at Yun-Han Opera Troupe couldn't find fault with it."
"Eh~" Victor Wang replied with a bit of polite mutual flattery, "I'm at best an accompaniment partner. When I was a kid… I learned for a while from my grandpa. The real highlight was your singing, Miss Yun."
"You were both perfectly normal before you went on stage. How come you suddenly became so formal? We're all friends—why all the 'Mister' this and 'Miss' that…?"
"You don't get it—calling someone Mister at a time like this shows respect for their professionalism."
"Yeah, yeah, don't take it too seriously."
Victor Wang and Yun Jin exchanged a smile, leaving Paimon scratching her head. Even Lumine began laughing, prompting Paimon to abruptly and stiffly change the subject: "The Jade Chamber is so lively! It's almost full!"
Hearing this, Ningguang—who, for once, was sitting at the same table with Beidou—walked over. "This banquet is both a personal celebration for the rebuilding of the Jade Chamber, and also a way to support Miss Yun's new opera, while additionally serving as a celebration of Liyue surviving its recent crisis. Naturally, it's exceptionally lively."
"Thank you, Miss Ningguang, for arranging the premiere of [The Divine Damsel of Devastation] for this occasion."
"This was my promise. And Miss Yun's opera deserves no less." Ningguang glanced toward Shenhe, then looked around the table and raised her cup. "For the heroes who protect us all—how fitting."
Everyone raised their cups of tea instead of wine and celebrated together.
After finishing her tea, Paimon rubbed her hands together with anticipation. "Hehe… then about helping us with our finances, does that mean…?"
Swirling the wine in her cup, Ningguang casually but firmly replied, "Of course I haven't forgotten. But with the new year approaching, let's wait until after the Lantern Rite. I'll contact you then—as long as I can still find you…"
"We won't disappear, we have plenty of time! We'll head out after the holiday anyway. And the next nation we're going to just so happens to be Sumeru."
"That's quite a coincidence."
"Yeah, but we don't know what Sumeru's like right now. Do you have any news for us?" Paimon asked back.
"You're probably looking for information regarding the Dendro Archon, yes?… Sumeru is rather unique. It's neither like Liyue, where the Archon suddenly 'passed away,' nor like Mondstadt, whose Archon simply remains hidden from the world. Sumeru's Archon is among the people, and yet seems unconcerned with worldly matters, entrusting nearly everything to what was originally merely an assisting institution—the Akademiya—and its sages."
"So she's in the human world but doesn't handle human affairs… somewhat like the Electro Archon?"
"Not exactly. The situation may be even more complicated. Unlike the overly forceful Electro Archon, the current Dendro Archon's presence is almost too faint."
Setting her cup down, Ningguang crossed her arms, lowered her gaze, and seemed hesitant. After a moment, she finally elaborated in detail:
"There have been two Dendro Archons. The first was called the 'Greater Lord Rukkhadevata,' and the current one is the 'Lesser Lord Kusanali.' It's said that after the Greater Lord disappeared, her sages found the Lesser Lord. Under their arrangements, the Lesser Lord Kusanali moved into the Sanctuary of Surasthana in Sumeru City, rarely leaving, barely appearing in public. Even locals might have difficulty seeing her."
"Hmm… those sages sound suspicious. I've got a feeling that if we want to meet the Dendro Archon, we'll absolutely have to deal with the sages."
Lumine, unusually, fully agreed with Paimon's intuition. Even Victor Wang wanted to praise her with a so smart.
Ningguang neither confirmed nor denied it, but added another piece of news: "Also, Sumeru originally had an important festival celebrating the Archon's birthday. But after the Greater Lord's passing and the Lesser Lord's arrival, this festival—under the Akademiya's influence—has gradually been phased out."
"Not letting the current Archon appear, and even cutting off her own festival… that's way too suspicious!"
Ningguang shook her head mysteriously. "These are things anyone in Sumeru can tell you. As for the neighboring nation's Archon and its administrators, I have no standing to make baseless assumptions. I can only pass this information along to you, who are about to head there."
"In any case, meeting the Dendro Archon doesn't seem easy…"
Paimon and Lumine fell silent in thought.
"Don't be discouraged. There's an old Liyue saying: 'When the cart reaches the mountain, there'll be a road; when the boat reaches the bridge, it will go straight.' With your abilities, you'll always find a path."
"You're right!" Paimon instantly perked up after just a little encouragement. "By the way, how come we haven't seen Keqing or Ganyu?"
"Someone still needs to work. But now that the Jade Chamber has risen again, at least for this year's Lantern Rite, Ganyu and Keqing will both be able to rest a bit more peacefully."
At the next table, Beidou—growing impatient—called out to Ningguang: "Why are you sitting over there with the people who don't drink? Come on, come on, have a few more cups with me!"
Paimon had to hold back her laughter.
To save face, Ningguang explained, "Heh… I can't help it. She played the biggest role in preventing the Qilin disaster this time, so I have to show some courtesy." Then she excused herself.
After Ningguang left, Lumine looked at Victor Wang. "You're also looking for an Archon."
"Yeah. My next stop is Sumeru too. We'll definitely run into each other on the road—but I don't intend to travel with you the whole time."
"Why?" Paimon asked. "Wouldn't it be better to go together?"
"Because… because there are things I need to handle alone."
Because I might drag unrelated people into danger. I may be able to act recklessly with [The Two Ends of Beginning and End] and my curse of immortality—but that also means others could be pulled into dangers they otherwise would never have faced…
"Alright… just stay in touch."
"Mm."