Chapter 34: The Great Illusionary Dream, the Myriad Forms, the Madness, and the Eye of Judgment

"With a single rope, one can climb a cliff." "With a wooden boat, one can drift into the sea." "Before the age of forty, I had already traversed all the hidden realms." "Only the Peak of Vindagnyr brought an end to my adventures." "Or perhaps, it ended more than just that." "Now, I have entered the twilight of my life." "Many times, I stood beneath the mountain, buried by vast expanses of snow." "It is a ferocious beast without weakness, a manifestation of the world's merciless side... it terrifies me." "Once an adventurer loses their courage, they can no longer climb the peaks." "I no longer climb mountains, but instead, I dream bigger and farther." "Humans invent tools to conquer nature, and when nature conquers them, they invent better tools." "If legs cannot reach, then tools will take their place." "If tools cannot achieve it, then wings will suffice." "My dear friends, I leave you the blueprint for the 'Unfinished Wings.'" "In the face of the unknown, humanity stands united. As long as we live, we will eventually reach all visible places." "My time is running short, and the winds that belong to me have yet to arrive." "But among us, or perhaps among your children, students, or friends, there will surely be one who can reach it..." After conversing with the Fatui Harbinger, Scaramouche, Lumine and Mona began to deal with the core of the constellation. Fischl had already parted ways with the two. It was said that due to the intensifying coma phenomenon caused by the arrival of the large meteor, there was a severe shortage of personnel, so Fischl was summoned to care for the patients. That large meteor was the core of a constellation that had triggered this event. Only by dealing with it could the situation be resolved. When they arrived, the Fatui Harbinger, Scaramouche, had already arrived ahead of them. He mentioned that his research was complete and spouted some nonsense about Teyvat's sky being fake before leaving. Then, the two of them, along with their emergency food, began to deal with the core... and soon, they felt the lingering will of a man named Leonard. "I never expected... it was like this..." "Those who climb strive to reach unknown heights. Those who are determined wish to pass their will to the future." "Human beliefs can persist in the sky for thousands of years... Ah, astrology truly is something incredible!" "Why are we suddenly talking about this?" Paimon couldn't help but complain to Mona. Mona replied confidently, "If you can communicate with the stars, you can grasp all the secrets from ancient times to the present. Of course, there are only a few astrologers like me who can do such a thing." Lumine couldn't help but smile, then said seriously, "Mona, thank you so much this time." "W-What's with the sudden seriousness..." Mona, who had been boasting earlier, suddenly blushed and quickly changed the subject. "Speaking of which, that girl named Fischl is really something." "I think so too," Paimon nodded in agreement. "She's... uh... how should I put it..." Lumine: "She's a person full of whimsical ideas." "Though that's true, think about it... everything she said turned out to be correct," Paimon said seriously. "Could it be that she's the type of person who arrives at the right conclusion through the wrong process?" Mona couldn't help but nod. "Maybe that's really the case." During the investigation, Fischl had said many things in her peculiar "Fischl language" that seemed nonsensical at the time. But now that everything was over, they were shocked to find that everything Fischl had said had come true. After marveling at Fischl's peculiarities, Paimon brought up another matter. "What surprised me the most is that the Peak of Vindagnyr has turned into a small island." "Once a towering mountain, it has now become a tiny piece of land in the sea. Nowadays, almost anyone from Mondstadt can reach it by boat." "Doesn't that mean everyone can climb the Peak of Vindagnyr now?" "Yes, everyone can reach the summit now." "Would Leonard be happy? Although the Peak of Vindagnyr was an accident, the people of Mondstadt can now fly with the help of the Anemo Archon. With wings, humans can reach higher and farther places, exploring more unknown corners." At this point in the story, the chat in Brother Da's livestream was buzzing. "This story teaches us that human determination is meaningless. A god can fulfill your dreams with a wave of their hand." "Look, look! This is the true power of Barbatos, the Anemo Archon. Moving mountains and filling seas is as easy as flipping his hand. And you still say he didn't go easy on Signora?!" "The once unclimbable peak was cut down and thrown into the sea. When I watched the PV, I really thought the snow in Mondstadt was blown away by Dvalin." "Back when Venti moved mountains and filled seas, changing the landscape and blowing away the snow, Dvalin wasn't even around yet. Dvalin probably came later." "In short, with Dvalin around, Venti can slack off and not do any real work, right?" "Dvalin: So it's my fault?" While the livestream viewers were joking about Venti, Brother Da was pondering the information revealed in this part of the story. First, there was Scaramouche, the Sixth Harbinger of the Fatui. He's strong. The fact that the story didn't arrange for the Traveler to confront Scaramouche directly, but instead avoided a fight through Mona and the plot, suggests that the Traveler is far from being a match for Scaramouche at this point. This is likely an opponent the Traveler will only be able to face after gathering three or four elemental powers. What? Could he be an opponent for after five elements? That's impossible. By the time the Traveler has five elements, we'll be in the Fontaine version. Just look at the kind of powerhouses Fontaine has. By the Fontaine version, if the Fatui appear at all, it will probably be the top three Harbingers. The Sixth Harbinger wouldn't even have a chance to show up. Similarly, for the Traveler to participate in the Fontaine storyline, she would need to have god-level strength by the time she has five elements, just like the top three Harbingers. Scaramouche? He's not on that level. Then, there's the fact that Teyvat's sky is fake—this information is definitely important and likely tied to the main storyline. But right now, it's impossible to tell. This is only version 1.2, and there's too little information available. We'll probably have to wait until version 2.0 or 3.0 to get enough information. Just as Brother Da was thinking this and the story dialogue ended... Just when he thought the story was over... Another animated short was inserted. "Wow, this is Genshin Impact's old routine. At the end of every version, they drop something big." Brother Da immediately perked up. From version 1.0 to 1.1, every version's story has ended with an animated short packed with information. It seems this has truly become a tradition! So, he focused all his attention, eager to see what big reveal was coming this time. In the animation, the first thing that appeared was a night raven circling high in the clouds. A very familiar night raven—clearly Fischl's Oz. Then, following Oz's perspective, the camera looked down from above, showing Lumine, Mona, Paimon, and Scaramouche. From the scene, it seemed to be the moment when Scaramouche hurriedly left Lumine and the others. Looking down from the sky, Oz softly said, "Miss, it seems that Fatui Harbinger has no intention of attacking the Traveler and her companions. He has already left." "Yes, I see." The scene shifted to Fischl, who was sitting in the camp caring for patients, sharing Oz's perspective. She crossed her legs, resting her elbow on her knee and her chin on her hand, lazily saying: "If there's no trouble, then come back, Oz." The scene returned to Oz, who flapped his wings and flew back the way he came. Then, he curiously asked, "Miss, what would you have done if there was trouble?" The scene didn't shift back, instead staying focused on Oz's flapping wings and the clouds parting as he flew. However, in this scene, only Fischl's lazy voice could be heard, faintly saying: "They are my sworn retainers, so of course, I wouldn't let anything happen to them." As she spoke, her lazy tone carried a hint of amusement. "When the time comes, I'll use my 'Great Illusionary Dream, the Myriad Forms, the Madness, and the Eye of Judgment' to burn him to ashes." With that, the screen gradually faded to black.