Player World.
[Fidelle and Tartaglia's battle was also depicted in animated form within the game.]
[Cool—!]
[Fidelle possesses a Pure Soul. I shouldn't like her, but... but this is just too awesome!]
[Ha ha ha, you're not alone! Screw it, as long as it's fun right now!]
[Poor Childe, getting pinned down and pummeled by a girl again...]
[Speaking of which, who would win in a fight between Angie and Fidelle?]
[That's a tough one. Let's wait and see—I bet we'll get a showdown later, unless one of them encounters the Traveler first and gets defeated.]
[Uh... you really think we could beat them...?]
[It's the Traveler! The Traveler's super strong, okay?]
[Has anyone else noticed how many animated cutscenes Mihoyo has? This must cost a fortune!]
-
Liyue, at the arena.
After her interview with Charlotte, Fidelle returned to the viewing platform, noticing many eyes fixed on her, mostly filled with admiration and respect.
Though victorious against Tartaglia, the battle had taken a considerable toll on her.
Fortunately, the next round of matches wasn't until tomorrow, giving her time to recover.
Besides Fidelle's clash with Tartaglia, another familiar duo faced off in today's matches: Lumine and Chongyun.
Chongyun's strength was roughly on par with Xingqiu's, making him no match for Lumine.
Yet as a representative of Liyue, he couldn't easily concede, even knowing defeat was likely.
Approaching the match as a friendly spar, Lumine exchanged blows with Chongyun for a while before gently pushing him off the arena floor.
"Traveler, I've learned much from you!" Chongyun declared, undeterred by his loss. Reaching this stage at such a high-stakes summit was already an achievement in itself.
As Chongyun stepped down from the arena, Xingqiu stood waiting for him outside, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
"I thought my luck was bad enough," Xingqiu teased, "but yours is even worse! Ha ha! You actually had to fight the Traveler..."
Chongyun rolled his eyes, and the pair headed together toward the viewing platform.
-
Lumine secured an easy victory, but the players faced a much tougher challenge.
The internet was flooded with videos of players lamenting their difficulties.
Fighting Chongyun was truly torturous. His attack range was massive, especially his ultimate, which was completely different from the Chongyun the players controlled. It could blanket over half the arena, leaving no room to dodge.
Even Chen Xiyao, with Zhongli's formidable shield, nearly got wiped out by a single ultimate.
Fortunately, while Chongyun's attack power was overwhelming, he could still be defeated with sufficient sustain, though it would take time.
After over forty minutes and four grueling attempts, Chen Xiyao barely managed to claim the Intertwined Fate.
-
Inside the System Space.
"Aaaaaah, I died again!"
Jiang Mumu, too, was suffering from the Chongyun Challenge. She couldn't pass it, not even a little bit!
Jiang Mumu had always maintained her good habit of playing games without spending money, and she continued to do so even after arriving in this world.
This meant Jiang Mumu's character roster was woefully limited. Since she fell in love with every new character, most of them were at Zero Constellation, making her gameplay an unbearable struggle.
"Damn it! Which bastard made this so hard?" Jiang Mumu thought furiously, then suddenly remembered something.
Oh, right, that bastard was me. Never mind then.
She wanted to torment the players to farm Emotional Value. The more she broke their spirits, the more Emotional Value she'd gather to execute her plan.
-
Liyue.
After this round of the competition, only a little over fifty participants remained.
Everyone returned to rest and recover, as tomorrow would determine the top ten. Each competitor would have to fight two or even three times.
That night, Fidelle and Charlotte went out to explore Liyue Harbor's night market.
The night market was even more bustling than during the day, with a dazzling array of food stalls that left Charlotte's eyes wide with wonder.
Fontaine's culinary traditions differed greatly from Liyue's. The intensely spicy and salty flavors of the street food proved irresistible to the pair.
"Come on, let's grab some and try it," Fidelle said to Charlotte.
Charlotte looked at Fidelle, puzzled. "Huh? But Fidelle, don't you have a match tomorrow?"
"It's fine," Fidelle replied.
Tomorrow's competition is important, but if a little food tonight could ruin my chances, then everything at this night market must be poisonous...
"Oh, so it's okay then? Let's go over there—the aroma is strongest there!" Charlotte's eyes sparkled with excitement. She'd been craving the food for ages, but she hesitated to go alone out of consideration for Fidelle's upcoming match.
Now that Fidelle had given her the green light, what was there to hold her back?
"Of course! Let's feast!"
The two women approached a skewer stall and ordered over a dozen meat skewers.
These skewers were quite large, and neither of them intended to fill up solely on meat.
"So many people! All the seats are taken..."
Charlotte scanned the surroundings, her eyes suddenly lighting up. She pulled Fidelle toward a table occupied by two familiar figures.
As a journalist, Charlotte naturally recognized Lumine and Paimon.
Fidelle, on the other hand, knew them entirely because of Lady Furina.
Every nation the Traveler visited seemed to be struck by a major incident, followed shortly by an Abyss invasion or even the emergence of God-level combatants!
Lady Furina was particularly concerned about this pattern, and Fidelle had often overheard her fretting, "What to do, what to do, what to do...?"
Consequently, she had taken a keen interest in the Traveler and Paimon.
"Hello! I'm Charlotte, and this is Fidelle. Since all the other tables are full, would you mind if we shared this one?"
Charlotte greeted them warmly, taking the lead as Fidelle, never fond of speaking to strangers, remained silent.
"Of course! Please, make yourselves comfortable."
Lumine and Paimon paused their meal, turning their attention to Fidelle and Charlotte seated across from them.
"What's wrong? Why are you staring at us like that?"
Paimon waved her hands frantically. "Nothing! We just saw Fidelle fight today. You were amazing! Even Childe couldn't beat you!"
Fidelle responded to Paimon's praise with a polite smile, offering no further comment.
"Guests, your skewers are here..."
The Boss approached with a large platter of grilled skewers, set it on the table, and hurried back to his work. He was far too busy to chat with the Traveler today, much as he would have liked to.
With the food on the table, Charlotte immediately grabbed a skewer and devoured it.
"Mmm... so delicious! Fidelle, you have to try this!"
Fidelle picked up a skewer and took a bite.
"Hmm..."
The meat was slightly overcooked, a bit too salty, and not particularly fresh. Evaluating food quality was second nature to Fidelle, a half-fledged chef.
Still, for a humble street stall, the quality was acceptable.
Fidelle ate slowly, mentally analyzing the grilling method, planning to adjust the recipe for her own "little gluttonous God" back home.
Even a God who loved cake needed a change of pace sometimes.