For most ordinary people in Inazuma, they remained unaware of the major upheaval that had occurred within the Tenryou Commission.
They were still eagerly anticipating Lucian's new book, and as it happened, a few days later, his new work was released.
Unfortunately, they were left hanging once again—this new book was not the third act of the previous story but rather a collection titled Teyvat's Strange Tales.
Unreconciled Stars.
The story told of a meteor shower that occurred one night, with falling stars impacting both Mondstadt and Liyue.
If they were just ordinary meteorites, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But for some reason, these meteorites caused anyone who touched them to fall into a deep slumber.
Thus, the Adventurers' Guild commissioned the Traveler to investigate and uncover the truth behind the falling stars.
To assist in this task, the Guild even provided the Traveler with a teammate—the "Legendary Chuunibyou," Fischl.
Lucian included an illustration of her—a classic pose with one hand covering her face, though her fingers parted slightly to reveal one eye.
[Fischl: "Katheryne! Subjects of the Immernachtreich, dost thou devoutly hail the exalted name of the Prinzessin der Verurteilung?"]
In truth, this was the first time readers had seen Fischl make an appearance, and they were utterly stunned.
Her manner of speaking was even more cryptic than Dainsleif's! Could she be hiding some profound secret?
Not to mention, she was accompanied by a talking raven—something even more extraordinary than Paimon! This girl was no ordinary person!
[Fischl: "Traveler, dost thou also seek to oppose the boundless abyssal crystals of darkness?"]
[Oz: "What my lady refers to are those meteorites."]
The readers perked up. This Fischl was clearly no ordinary figure—did she know something about the meteorites, referring to them as "boundless abyssal crystals of darkness"?
Before the investigation began, Fischl delivered a "brief" self-introduction.
[Fischl: "Rejoice! To tread the path of destiny alongside the Prinzessin der Verurteilung is an honor that shall illuminate the remainder of thy days!"]
[Oz: "This is my mistress, the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, hailing from the Immernachtreich beyond this world. I am her familiar, the night raven Oz."]
In the story, the Traveler and Paimon took her words at face value, convinced that Fischl was someone of great importance.
The readers nodded along—ah, so she was a princess from another world, the Immernachtreich. No wonder she spoke so mysteriously and seemed to know so much.
Those outside Mondstadt, unfamiliar with Fischl, genuinely believed Oz's explanation.
But some Mondstadt locals knew the truth and cringed on her behalf—now the whole world would know she was a chuunibyou.
Fischl herself, however, saw nothing wrong with it. The version of herself in the story was cool, wasn't she?
Though she did recall that during this journey with the Traveler, she might have accidentally revealed her true nature… Oh dear, what to do about that?
In the book, the "four-member team" consisting of the Traveler and Fischl was officially formed.
This team was quite amusing—one member didn't speak, and the other didn't speak human language.
Meanwhile, their companions Paimon and Oz handled communication—one talking normally, the other translating—creating a perfect balance that allowed seamless conversation.
The group began their investigation by heading to Springvale, the closest location to Mondstadt affected by the meteorites.
A temporary "medical tent" had been set up in Springvale, where the unconscious "patients" were being cared for under the watch of the Knights of Favonius.
[Fischl: "Let the sacred bells toll! The hour of judgment is nigh! Rejoice, ye who seek salvation, for the Prinzessin der Verurteilung hath descended upon this realm!"]
Translated: Be happy, I'm here.
[Fischl: "Mortal, the Prinzessin grants thee dispensation from formalities. Speak plainly and divulge all critical intelligence."]
[Joyce: "Huh? You are…?"]
Joyce, the Knight of Favonius stationed there, didn't recognize Fischl and had no idea what she was saying.
Fortunately, Oz stepped in as translator, explaining that they were from the Adventurers' Guild and here to investigate.
Joyce then shared what he knew: the patients had all touched the meteorites the previous night and had been unconscious ever since. He warned the group to avoid contact with the fallen stars.
[Fischl tilted her head proudly: "Such crude counsel! The Prinzessin is shielded by the abyssal pearls of secret arts—what power have these dark crystals against me?"]
The readers were shocked—what were these "abyssal pearls of secret arts"? How many more secrets did this princess hold?
[Oz, knowing the truth, hurriedly interjected: "Ah, no, my lady. As the Prinzessin, you must heed wise counsel."]
[Paimon, mimicking Oz: "Lumine, you are… you are an adventurer! You must heed wise counsel!"]
So this was when Paimon first started her habit of copying others.
[Fischl: "Dost thou mimic the Prinzessin? Hmph! The lament of a thousand dying worlds is beyond the grasp of mortals!"]
Fischl's "thousand dying worlds" might as well have been a thousand novels.
Meanwhile, the Traveler standing before her might have actually journeyed through a thousand worlds.
Returning to the story, aside from Joyce guarding the patients, there was also a nun named Edna tending to them.
From Edna, the Traveler learned something new: one of the patients had briefly woken up before falling back asleep, but not before mentioning that they dreamed of being on a mountain, feeling terribly cold.
Just then, Draff rushed over in a panic—turns out, meteorites had landed near Springvale's back mountain, and a young hunter named Alan had recklessly run off to see them.
(Note: Mondstadt draws inspiration from Germany, and in German, "hunter" is "Jäger." So yes, this could very well be Alan Jäger.)
Truly a fitting act of freedom from Mondstadt's Alan.
However, charging off like that was bound to end badly, so Draff came seeking help.
When the Traveler and Draff found Alan, he was in the middle of a desperate battle with a giant slime.
Or rather, he was just crouching in defense, surrounded by the massive slime. Luckily, the group arrived in time to save him.
Draff scolded Alan harshly, while the Traveler noticed the meteorite nearby.
As they approached it, Fischl's Vision flickered with light.
[Fischl: "Oh? Could it be that the frigid curse hath sensed the energy flowing within the abyssal pearls, heralding its own doom?"]
Only then did the readers realize—Fischl's earlier mention of the "abyssal pearls' protection" was just referring to her Vision!
They had expected some transcendent power beyond this world, so this revelation was a bit disappointing. But surely the Prinzessin der Verurteilung from the Immernachtreich had other tricks up her sleeve, right?
The readers eagerly awaited how Fischl would handle the meteorite.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice – Fischl: About Unreconciled Stars (Opening)
"Hmph, the version of myself in the tale—ahem—the secrets of fate revealed in the annals of destiny! As the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, I shall mete out judgment upon the abyssal curse of darkness!"