Now, what the Traveler and her companions must do is destroy the core. If this 'core' is not destroyed, the victims will not awaken from their slumber.
And as they destroy this 'core,' the Traveler comes to truly understand the adventurer named Leonard—his life and his 'legacy.'
An illustration: a middle-aged man of indistinct features climbs a towering mountain with the aid of a rope.
[With a single rope, one can scale a cliff.]
Another illustration: a small boat braves raging waves.
[With a wooden boat, one can sail into the sea.]
[By the age of forty, I had explored every secret realm.]
[Only Polaris Peak brought my adventuring career to an end.]
[Or perhaps, it was not just that which ended.]
[Now in my twilight years, I have stood at the foot of the peak many times, buried under vast expanses of snow.]
[It is a savage beast without weakness, a manifestation of the world's mercilessness—and it terrifies me.]
[An adventurer who loses their courage can no longer climb such heights.]
Readers couldn't help but marvel at the terror of Polaris Peak. Even a great adventurer who had traversed countless domains could not conquer this towering mountain.
Faced with it, he had even lost the courage to attempt the climb again.
Once, Mondstadt had been blocked from the 'world' by this very mountain—until their Archon, with his divine might, flattened the terrifying peak into level ground.
The Golden Apple Archipelago mentioned in the previous island story and Polaris Peak in this tale were both demonstrations of Barbatos's power.
The people of Mondstadt swelled with pride, as if thinking, 'Our father has struck it rich, and now we've become the spoiled heirs.'
Readers outside Mondstadt, however, focused on something else. Since Leonard had already lost the courage to climb Polaris Peak, his obsession and wish to conquer it should have faded.
So why did his 'fateful star' still drive people to climb it in their dreams?
Didn't that mean his desire to conquer Polaris Peak still remained?
[I no longer climb mountains. Instead, I dream bigger, farther dreams.]
[Humans invent tools to conquer nature, and when nature conquers them, they invent better tools.]
[Where legs cannot reach, tools take their place. Where tools cannot go, wings may yet carry us.]
Indeed, Leonard had lost the courage to conquer Polaris Peak—but not the wish to do so.
He expanded his dream. If he could not scale this peak himself, he would ensure that future generations could!
Leonard might never have seen the view from Polaris Peak's summit in his lifetime, but he gave future generations the means to witness that sight.
He was the pioneer of this 'path.'
[My dear friends, I leave you the blueprints for the 'Unfinished Wings.']
An illustration: the blueprint depicted none other than an early design for the Wind Glider.
[In the face of the unknown, humanity stands united. So long as they live, people will eventually reach all visible places.]
[My time grows short. The wind that belongs to me has yet to arrive.]
[But among us—or among your children, students, and friends—]
[There will surely be one who can reach it.]
Leonard was an adventurer—but also an inventor.
The Wind Glider he invented carried people into the skies, bringing once-unreachable vistas beneath their feet.
The wind that belonged to him never came in his lifetime, but he became the wind for all humanity, lifting future generations aloft.
This is the story of a determined man who passed his will to the future.
This is the story of a great man who entrusted his wishes to those who came after.
This conviction lingered among the stars for a thousand years—and now, at last, it has reached the people of the present.
The people of Mondstadt stared at the pages in a daze, their vision blurred as if by mist.
So this was how the Wind Glider they used had been invented.
Amber gasped in awe. Her favorite invention was the Wind Glider, and she had always believed the secret to flight lay in courage (and sheer luck).
But she never imagined that the Wind Glider's creation had stemmed from someone losing their courage…
A man who had lost his courage invented wings that required courage to use.
And those who came after him used those wings to soar to heights he could never reach, witnessing sights he had never seen.
Leonard's 'courage' had not vanished—it had transformed into the wings that let others fly.
This legacy moved not only the people of Mondstadt but those of other nations as well.
Sumeru pursued knowledge, and knowledge itself was a form of inheritance. Leonard's story was exactly the kind of tale they adored—though few in Sumeru had the chance to read it.
Readers hadn't expected the most remarkable figure in this story to be neither the Traveler, nor a Fatui Harbinger, nor an astrologist, nor the Prinzessin der Verurteilung—not even the Anemo Archon.
Instead, it was an 'adventurer' buried by time.
In this tale, his 'brilliance' outshone all others, making him the undisputed 'protagonist.'
At the story's end, the Traveler chatted with Mona.
They suddenly realized something about Fischl.
Though Fischl had spouted nonsense the entire time, she hadn't actually been wrong about anything.
Her reasoning was flawed, but her conclusions were correct.
"!" A bright exclamation mark popped up over Fischl's head. They're praising me! Hehehe, this feels nice~.
No, no—absolutely not! The Prinzessin does not rejoice over the praises of mortals! Such sanctified words are but commonplace to one such as I!
Incidentally, Fischl had only just learned of Leonard's story now, as she hadn't been present during the events.
Today, Polaris Peak was little more than a reef, easily reached by Mondstadt's ships—allowing people to witness the 'peak's' scenery.
And thanks to the Anemo Archon's blessing, Leonard's Wind Glider allowed people to fly, reaching higher and farther than ever before, exploring the unknown.
[And so, (Leonard, has your wish been fulfilled?)] Lumine wondered.
'Unreconciled Stars – End'
The story concluded, leaving the people of Liyue with much to reflect on. To them, this was also a form of 'contract'—a silent agreement between the ancients and the people of today.
When modern climbers reached the summit and beheld the view, did they, for a fleeting moment, share the same thoughts as the man from a thousand years ago?
If so, then Leonard's wish must have been fulfilled.
"Truly a fine tale," Cloud Retainer nodded.
This was the charm of invention—the contemplation during creation, the joy afterward, and the satisfaction of seeing, centuries later, how one's invention had changed the world.
Leonard, too, would surely have been pleased to see the impact of his work.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice – Cloud Retainer: On Inventions
"Hmph. The charm of invention lies in… the changes it brings. When the ingenuity behind an invention is discovered, and others inherit my will, refining my creation to keep it 'alive'—that is the joy of invention."