Paimon noticed that Charlotte had nearly finished two skewers while Fidelle had barely taken a couple of bites. Puzzled, she asked, "Hey Fidelle, you're barely eating anything. Are you not used to the food here?"
Fidelle looked up at Paimon. "No, this is just my habit. The food here is delicious."
Charlotte chimed in, "Fidelle is a renowned chef in Fontaine! Only Escoffier's cooking can rival hers, but I still think Fidelle's dishes are the best!"
Well, duh! Escoffier might be good, but how could she compete with someone who's basically cheating?
Then again, Escoffier was technically Fidelle's teacher. Fidelle had learned a great deal about cooking from her.
"A chef?!" Paimon exclaimed, staring in surprise at Fidelle. This purple-haired, Electro-attribute bombshell is a chef?!
Back in Inazuma, when Yuna had taken Paimon and the others to dine at the tenshukaku, they'd had a buffet. All it took was a little grilling, but even Ei had managed to mess it up!
Ei's disastrous cooking skills had left such a deep impression on Paimon that she instinctively assumed Fidelle couldn't cook either.
"Ugh..."
The thought of Yuna soured Paimon's mood.
She took a massive bite of meat and chewed fiercely, as if she were chewing on the black-robed figure who had killed Yuna.
Lumine soothed Paimon before turning to Fidelle:
"Hello, Fidelle. May I ask you something?"
"Of course, go ahead."
Lumine took a deep breath and asked, "When is your birthday?"
"Hmm?"
Paimon and Charlotte both stopped eating, the former staring curiously at Lumine, the latter looking surprised.
Does Lumine suspect Fidelle is a Person of Pure Soul from Fontaine?
But how did she figure that out, or even guess it?
Paimon couldn't understand or fathom it, but she trusted Lumine's judgment and looked at Fidelle expectantly.
At that very moment, three pairs of eyes quietly turned toward them.
Venti, Zhongli, and Rukkhadevata were all waiting for Fidelle's answer.
"March 2nd," Fidelle replied, puzzled but still willing to share her birthday with Lumine.
"March 2nd..."
-
Player World
[???]
[Isn't it supposed to be November 11th? What's going on?]
[Was the Travail PV a scam?]
[So she's not a Person of Pure Soul? Does that mean she'll be added to the gacha pool later?]
[Bullshit! She probably doesn't know her own birthday, like Silaya, or she just got it wrong!]
[We're doomed! What if the Traveler excludes her? If that happens, wouldn't it be too easy for the Abyss to eliminate her?]
[Traveler, you absolutely must stick to your beliefs!]
-
Liyue Night Market.
Lumine felt a twinge of disappointment.
Her reason for asking about Fidelle's birthday wasn't based on any concrete evidence, but rather on a hunch—a sense that Fidelle might be a Pure Soul from Fontaine.
Unfortunately, her intuition had failed her.
Seeing Lumine remain silent, Fidelle didn't press the matter, instead continuing to savor her meat skewers.
March 2nd... Fidelle would never forget that day. It marked the most pivotal turning point in her life. On that day, she tasted her very first small cake.
For the first time, she realized food could be so sweet, so utterly delicious...
That day also marked her first encounter with Lady Furina, solidifying her determination to repay her benefactor.
Though Fidelle didn't know her actual birthday, from that day forward, March 2nd became her birthday.
After Fidelle revealed her birthday, three pairs of eyes that had been watching them retreated.
Paimon: "Hey Fidelle, do you know anyone in Fontaine who's super popular? Like, someone who's kind to everyone and has a really pure heart?"
Paimon's question was so broad that anyone else would have struggled to answer.
But she asked Fidelle, who replied without hesitation, "You must be referring to Lady Furina."
"Furina?" Lumine looked up.
Paimon said, "Lumine, Furina is Fontaine's Hydro Archon, not the person we're looking for."
"Oh..." Lumine replied, disappointed. She had thought they had found her, only to discover it was the Hydro Archon.
"Then Fidelle," Paimon continued, "aside from the Hydro Archon, is there anyone else in Fontaine who's very popular?"
This...
Fidelle and Charlotte exchanged glances, unsure how to answer.
Lumine added, "Ideally, someone with both Electro and Anemo Visions."
Charlotte said, "While I don't know why you're asking, if you're looking for someone with an Anemo Vision, Lynette might fit the description."
"Lynette?" Lumine and Paimon looked at Charlotte, urging her to elaborate.
Charlotte continued, "Lynette is the assistant to Fontaine's Great Magician Lyney and his sister. She's quite famous in Fontaine, and in terms of popularity, Lynette definitely meets the criteria."
-
[Are the Magic Siblings the brother and sister from the "Travail" PV?]
[Could it really be her? Think about it: Rola has a brother, Qingge has a sister, Yuna has an older sister...]
[What about Silaya?]
[Who's Silaya?!]
[Damn, we've run into a Teyvat local.]
[It's not impossible. Who said that only the second character introduced from each nation in the "Travail" PV has a Pure Soul?]
-
At the Liyue Night Market, Lumine and Paimon were still buzzing with excitement, continuing to press Charlotte about Lynette's birthday.
Charlotte shook her head, admitting she didn't know.
"February 2nd," Fidelle suddenly interjected. "I'm quite familiar with the Magic Siblings. They both share the same birthday."
Lumine and Paimon deflated with disappointment.
Paimon: "Lumine, since we're not finding any leads here, let's just wait until we get to Fontaine to investigate further..."
Lumine nodded in agreement. It was the only logical course.
"You're going to Fontaine?" Fidelle asked abruptly.
Paimon: "Yep!"
Fidelle: "When?"
Paimon looked to Lumine for her opinion. After a moment's thought, Lumine said, "After the Summit ends... in a few days, maybe..."
They had been rushing non-stop. Lumine needed time to rest and recuperate. She had a feeling that their journey to Fontaine would bring events no less significant than those they had experienced in previous nations.
"After the Summit ends..." Fidelle murmured, lowering her head in contemplation. Her God was notoriously meticulous about the Traveler's itinerary. She knew she would be facing some serious scrutiny upon her return.
The group fell silent. Ten minutes later, their skewers were finished. Fidelle stood up.
"Traveler, we'll be heading out now."
"Good luck in tomorrow's competition," Lumine replied.
"You too."
Fidelle still wanted to sample more of Liyue's unique cuisine. Many of the dishes here were completely unfamiliar to her.
-
The next day.
Today's atmosphere was even more lively than the previous days.
The audience knew today's matches would be particularly thrilling, promising encounters with opponents they hadn't faced before!
Tartaglia lived up to his reputation of growing stronger with each setback. Despite his injuries from yesterday's defeat, he had stormed through the revival matches and returned to compete again today after just one night's rest.
Angie couldn't help but feel speechless. Ever since Qingge's death, Tartaglia seemed driven by some unknown force, his growth in strength accelerating to a pace that even she found astonishing.
Months ago, Tartaglia had already mastered the Foul Legacy Transformation, allowing him to instantly don his demonic armor. Though he had been defeated by Fidelle, he had demonstrated remarkable combat prowess.
Judging by this, if he were to face the whale again in Fontaine, he likely wouldn't suffer the same grievous injuries as in the original timeline.
Moreover, it remained to be seen whether we would witness the iconic scene of Neuvillette felling him with a single strike.