Back in Springvale, Ann and Lumine immediately went to find Fischl.
She still looked unwell, seemingly not having rested well.
"Fischl, why do you look like you haven't rested at all?" Paimon looked at Fischl curiously, asking frankly.
"Ah?! No, I haven't!" Fischl was startled by Paimon's words, even her way of speaking was a bit strange.
"M-Miss means, there's no need to worry about the Princess's condition."
"???" Paimon tilted his head in confusion.
The way these two spoke had completely reversed.
"Ahem, my retainers, let's talk about your harvest today," Fischl coughed lightly, then looked at the two and said.
However, for some reason, her gaze didn't dare to land on Stelle, and when facing Stelle, she instinctively lowered her head slightly.
Although the movement was slight, both Stelle and Lumine could detect it.
Of course, considering what happened last night, they weren't entirely unable to understand.
Perhaps Stelle had scared Fischl.
After all, they had played a bit too wildly last night, to the point where the dress Lumine had painstakingly customized couldn't be worn a second time.
She might have to customize a new one later.
At that time, she should continue wearing the Fatui mask.
"Today, we went to the territory of Liyue. The situation there seems even more serious than here…" Stelle slowly began to recount the day's events to Fischl.
In truth, there wasn't much of a harvest to speak of; simply continuously clearing meteorites wouldn't resolve this incident.
"I didn't expect the Seeds of Nightmare to be so troublesome… Even if they are purged in an instant by the Night-Veiled Arrow, their resurgence is too insidious. Hmph, if this continues, it will truly diminish the majesty of the Prinzessin der Verurteilung," Fischl said slowly, stroking his chin.
"Indeed, though we are constantly clearing them, meteor showers continue to fall across the continent. If this continues…" Lumine also said with some worry. After spending this time together, she could largely understand what Fischl meant by his words.
"Even if we work ourselves to death, the speed of clearing them probably can't keep up with the speed of their descent," Stelle sighed helplessly.
That's why she said that even though a way to wake people up had been found, this incident was far from over.
It was like trying to fill a bottomless pit, a drop in the bucket.
"We need to find a new method," Lumine said, falling into silent thought.
Everyone fell silent. After a moment, Fischl finally spoke.
"I, Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort, have traversed a thousand universes, yet never encountered such a formidable foe. It is neither a pure demon nor a simple arcane art… This land is cursing humanity."
"Cursing?" Paimon seemed to grasp the meaning of Fischl's words.
It seemed she still insisted on her view that these meteorites were some kind of curse.
"Only the continuous lamentations of unfulfilled desires, interwoven with the ever-changing tapestry of fate, can give rise to such a malevolent spell…"
"How tragic. Is this the fate of humanity? No matter how many times, I still feel heartbroken," Oz said with emotion.
"What are you talking about? Are you saying these meteorites are curses?" Paimon asked, confused.
"If it is not a curse of [man], why does it cause [man] to fall into an eternal slumber? The living fall into dreams, becoming undead, neither living nor dead, how dreadful."
"We cannot be complacent. Even if we combine all our strength, it will be difficult to resist this dark power!"
"So, you mean…" Stelle asked curiously.
"We need the fated one."
"Uh, who?" Stelle scratched his head, looking at Fischl in confusion.
Although she could roughly understand what Fischl was saying, sometimes it still took her a moment to process it.
"My lady means that our best option right now is to invite an expert to solve a professional problem. Regarding breaking curses, do you have any suitable candidates in mind?"
"This…" Stelle and Lumine exchanged glances, both shaking their heads.
They seemed to have no acquaintance with such a person.
"Does Albedo count?" Stelle couldn't help but ask.
As the chief alchemist of the Knights of Favonius, breaking curses should also be… a relevant job, right?
"No matter what, let's go back to Mondstadt City first. It's good to ask Katheryne too," Paimon suggested to them.
"Mhm, we'll go back first thing tomorrow morning," Lumine nodded.
It was getting late now, and even if they went back, the Adventurers' Guild would have long been closed. So, it was better to stay here for another night and depart tomorrow.
"We, we have to stay another night?!" Fischl's reaction suddenly became a bit strange, not only did he snap back from that chuunibyou state, but his cheeks also suddenly turned a bit red.
"What's wrong, Fischl? Are you not used to staying here?" Paimon asked in confusion. "Indeed, you didn't seem to sleep at all yesterday. How about we switch rooms and try?"
"No, no need!"
---------
That night, Lumine, as Stelle expected, came to her room.
This time, Lumine wasn't wearing the dress from yesterday, because it was no longer really wearable. She was just wearing a simple nightgown.
Of course, although this outfit couldn't compare to yesterday's, for Stelle, it was still as if she wasn't wearing anything at all.
Because Lumine's nightgown was just loosely hanging on her body, it seemed intentional, not a single button was fastened.
Once Lumine entered the room, Stelle walked directly to the door, closed it tightly, and then locked it.
"You don't have to be so careful," Lumine chuckled softly, then wrapped her arms around Stelle's waist from behind, pressing her entire body against Stelle's back.
"Yesterday, you weren't careful at all, and someone saw us," Stelle turned and picked Lumine up, then tossed him onto her bed.
The bed was soft enough that throwing him wouldn't cause Lumine any pain. Besides, with Lumine's physique, even being thrown directly onto the ground probably wouldn't matter.
However, because of this movement, Lumine's nightgown gaped open, and Stelle even saw Lumine's two small, soft mounds bounce with a slight curve.
"Gulp." Stelle slowly swallowed, walked to the bed, and looked down at Lumine.
"Hehehe… So what if she saw? She's going to be eaten by you sooner or later anyway," Lumine said with a giggle, reaching out to hook Stelle's neck, completely unconcerned about the revealing state of her clothes.
"I, don't talk nonsense, I don't have such thoughts…" Stelle quickly said, though her words lacked a certain confidence.
"Really?"
"Not for now, at least." Stelle lowered his head, looking into Lumine's eyes, and slowly leaned down, pecking him lightly on the lips.
"We've only known each other for so long."
"Amber also, not long after meeting you, he…"
"That, that was an accident!"
"What about Barbara?"
"Also, also an accident…"
"Jean?"
"They were all accidents, truly all accidents." Stelle said, then sealed Lumine's mouth again.
At least from her perspective, they were indeed all accidents.
Note:
Happy Lunar New Year, everyone!
I wish you all a year filled with blessings, success, good fortune, and happiness!
Important Announcement:
I will be on Lunar New Year holiday starting February 15th, 2026, and will return on February 23rd, 2026. During this time, I will focus on resting and spending time with my family.
During my break, I will prepare some new chapters, which I will post regularly after the holiday ends. Please stay tuned — the following parts are very interesting!
Thank you so much for your incredible support. Wishing you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!