He changed Tiwat

Next, the group began to patrol the back mountain, collecting meteorite fragments in the area.

About an hour later, the meteorite fragments in the back mountain of Qingquan Town had all been collected by the group.

According to Mona, the edges of these meteorite fragments can indeed be pieced together to form a larger fragment—but like a jigsaw puzzle, just having one corner is not enough to deduce the whole picture, and she needs more material.

Although he hadn't lifted a finger, Paimon wiped his sweat as if he'd accomplished something great: "That should do the job. Will it help the villagers of Clearspring Town?"

To answer Paimon's question, we'll have to go to town and check.

The group returned to Springstown and were greeted by Sister Edna.

Paimon hurriedly asked, "Miss Edna, we've cleared the meteorites off the back hill. Has the patient's condition improved?"

Edna beamed with joy: "Thanks to you all, two patients have already woken up!"

The nun led everyone back to the house, where the brewer named Hartmann had already sat up, stretching and yawning: "Still a little sleepy... phew..."

Paimon clapped his hands excitedly: "Great! This method worked!"

Edna nodded and said, "If we could clean up all the meteorites in Mondstadt..."

“Then everyone will wake up from their dream,” Ying added.

Although his expression was not visible, Oz was clearly smiling: "Ah, what exciting news!"

Fischl was even more smug: "Hmph, it's only right that this is the result after all the trouble I, the princess, had to take care of it personally!"

Mona didn't react, seemingly lost in thought. Han Fulai noticed that Mona's eyes seemed to be fixed on Fischl.

"What is Miss Mona thinking about?" Han Fulai asked in a low voice.

"It's nothing." Mona shook her head. "I was thinking... well, if only two people woke up, does that mean only those two people were brought here after collapsing in the back mountain?"

Edna confirmed that this was indeed the case. One of the patients who woke up was a hunter who had gone to the back mountain to hunt, while Hartman was from Dawn Winery who came to Spring Town to transport spring water for brewing. He passed by the back mountain, discovered a meteorite, and, unable to contain his curiosity, touched it before falling into a deep sleep.

Based on the experiences of these two patients, "sealing" the meteorite can indeed help patients regain consciousness—which confirms Fischer's claim that the meteorite is "the root of nightmares."

Hartman, who had been sleeping for most of the day, was starving and somewhat listless. After having lunch, he was finally able to answer questions.

Paimon volunteered to act as the "reporter": "Mr. Hartman, what did you see in your dream?"

Hartmann tried to recall, then replied, "I only remember it being very cold, and I was constantly walking along mountain paths... it was a snow-covered mountain..."

"Snow Mountain...do you mean Dragon Ridge Snow Mountain?" Paimon asked again.

“No…it shouldn’t be.” Hartmann shook his head. “I used to help the winery collect ice mist flowers, and I went to the Dragon Ridge Snow Mountain. The terrain in my dream seemed different from the snow mountain…”

“Hmm… then it shouldn’t be the ‘Curse of the Snow Mountain Demon’, right?” Paimon turned to look at Fischl.

Fischl turned her head away, still stubbornly insisting, "Hmph, snow mountains aren't just Dragon Ridge..."

Paimon shrugged helplessly, then asked Hartman, "You said you kept walking mountain paths in your dream, what was it for?"

Hartman scratched his head somewhat awkwardly: "Uh, I don't know either... In my dreams, I don't seem to be completely under my control."

Fischl became smug again: "See! It really is a curse, what a pitiful land..."

Paimon and Ying exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat helpless.

However, Mona, who always undermined Fischl, unusually refrained from making sarcastic remarks, and instead pondered silently with her head down.

Paimon concluded, "In any case, the method of cleaning up the meteorite was effective. It seems we need to step up our efforts!"

This also means that their next goal is to travel around Mondstadt and even Liyue to collect meteorite fragments.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Fallen Star

The group returned to Mondstadt in the afternoon to report their findings to Catherine and request the Adventurers' Guild to gather adventurers with the Eye of God to collect meteorite fragments.

Catherine also informed the Adventurers' Guild in Liyue of the new situation, requesting their cooperation—because Catherine seems to have special secret intelligence channels, the Adventurers' Guild branches in different countries are always particularly fast in transmitting information.

The rest of the time was spent collecting meteorite fragments. Of course, it was impossible for just four people to clean up so many meteorite fragments. The group worked hard all afternoon and finally finished collecting all the meteorites along the route from Springvale to Whispering Forest by dusk.

(During this time, Fischl found a sign in Whispering Wood that read "Klee's Treasure," and was saved by Luminous before she could start digging.)

With a certain number of meteorite fragments as divination material, Mona conducted a divination in an open area of ​​the Windrise Land.

The divination results showed that these meteorite fragments were originally someone's "destiny seat".

Mona's two "disciples," Luminous and Paimon, both expressed doubt about the result: "'Constellation'? But didn't you tell us that the constellation is just a concept in astrology?"

In her previous astrology tutorials, Mona explained the concept of constellations to the two characters using terms like the Big Dipper. After all, since Ying and Paimon hadn't actually become her students, Mona only needed them to have a basic understanding of astrology.

But this time, it seems impossible to explain without a more in-depth explanation.

In response, Mona carefully stated, "Generally speaking, it's enough to treat the constellation as a concept in astrology; the concept itself doesn't affect the application and results of astrology. But I've studied astrology for a long time and know something that most people don't—the 'natal planet' on the 'constellation' is a real celestial body that exists deep in the sky, not just something that exists in a concept."

“Strangely, for some reason, they turned into meteorites and fell to the ground… This shouldn’t be happening.” Mona held up a meteorite fragment that emitted a blue fluorescence, her brows furrowed. “The reason is still unclear. Perhaps collecting more meteorite fragments will bring me closer to the truth.”

At this point, Fischl got excited again: "It's a curse! Someone has put a curse on us!"

"Is it that 'curse of the snow mountain demon' you mentioned again...?" Mona frowned as she looked at Fischl.

Fischl continued her tirade: "This princess has traversed the stars and glimpsed a corner of the truth from behind the veil of darkness. The cursed land, the malice of 'humans'... Only those who died in the most agonizing way would leave behind such deep resentment. We should question the inhabitants of this land: who has committed such an unforgivable sin! Whoever gave birth to the dead is the true murderer!"

“Wait a minute, I’m a little confused… The culprit behind the curse? Could you be more specific?” Mona seemed to be seriously analyzing Fischl’s words.

Paimon immediately retorted, "No, no, you don't need to take her words to heart!"

Fearing that Mona and Fischl would start arguing again, Ying quickly changed the subject: "Let's talk about the meteorite fragments... Did Miss Mona get any clues from the fragments?"

"Oh...oh." Mona seemed a little unsatisfied, placing the fragment into the water divination plate as well, then turning the plate: "My astrologer has captured the trajectory of fate. Through the connection between the fragments, I can calculate the locations of other meteorites that fell."

A miniature map began to appear on Mona's water basin. Although it was a flat map without any terrain undulations, everyone could tell at a glance that it was a map of Mondstadt.

Paimon counted on his fingers while looking at the map: "Today we finished clearing the meteorites in Springvale and Whispering Woods... Next up are Windrise, Dadaupa Valley, Cape Oath, Starcliff, and Starfall Lake... Wow, just thinking about it makes me tired."

Ying retorted without mincing words: "No, Paimon, you're flying all day and don't have to lift a finger, how could you get tired?"

Paimon stomped his foot: "Flying...flying gets tiring too!"

Han Fulai then announced that it was time to leave work and that he would invite everyone to dinner at the "Deer Hunter" restaurant that evening.

—Well, he's made up his mind. At least while in Mondstadt, he absolutely won't work overtime.

Based on today's investigation results, as long as the holders of the Eye of God from both countries cooperate to clear the meteorite fragments, those who have fallen into a deep sleep should recover quickly, and there's no need to worry about the meteor shower causing significant damage. Regardless of whether the sleep-inducing effect is due to a "curse" or other forces carried by the meteorites, it's not fatal.

The damage in Liyue was much less severe than in Mondstadt, and besides Ningguang and Keqing, there were other cultivators there as well. He shouldn't need to make a special trip back to Liyue from Mondstadt. As for Mondstadt, they weren't the only adventurers with Visions. If things were truly urgent, the Anemo Archon should have intervened by now… Venti isn't in a hurry, so why should this foreign friend be?

Assisting Mona in collecting meteorite fragments to investigate the cause of the incident is clearly more crucial.

What he found noteworthy was Mona's strange attitude that afternoon: she seemed very concerned about Fischl, even seriously considering Fischl's childish remarks. But Mona seemed unwilling to reveal the specific reason.

Given Mona's ability to see into other people's fates—could it be that Mona discovered something about Fischl that is closely related to the cause of this meteor shower?

What secrets is hidden within Fischl?

The group held their first "team building" event since the establishment of the investigation team at the "Deer Hunter" restaurant.

Fischl had originally intended to return to the banquet with the "Emperor and Empress of the Night," but after Han Fulai generously ordered Mondstadt specialties including a "cold meat platter," Fischl changed his mind on the spot, saying, "This is the grace of consecration, the blessing of the night! Such joy should be shared with you," and reluctantly decided to dine with his beloved ministers present.

During the banquet, Her Highness the Princess demonstrated her unique skill to everyone – a "Congratulatory Symphony".

—According to Oz, Her Highness the Princess was quite fond of this "Consecration Symphony" because it had a lot of meat... and was also very expensive.

—Fischl's unique skill seems to be arranging food in the shape of a six-pointed star, which is called "plating".

This doesn't seem to have any impact on the taste of the food itself.

But everyone could see the expectant look in her eyes through her fingertips that partially covered her face... and so they all praised the princess's superb skills.

Fischl proudly stated that this was a profound technique originating from the Pure Land of Night.

Perhaps because she was enjoying the meal so much, Her Highness Princess Fischl even bestowed titles upon her ministers during the banquet.

Such titles include "Visitor from Another World", "Emergency Food with the Appearance of a Strange Little Elf", and "Grand Master of the Palace, Lord Megistus". Han Fulai was bestowed the title of "Immernachtreich Executive Chef", which is the highest-ranking head chef of the Princess's palace kitchen.

Hmm, it seems that letting the princess freeload a meal can lead to promotions and titles.

After the banquet, everyone agreed to meet at the association's entrance the next morning to rest.

That night, another meteor shower fell.

Chapter Thirty: The Curse of Neither Dead Nor Alive

On the morning of June 5th, the investigation team gathered again at the entrance of the Mondstadt Adventurers' Guild.

There were significantly more documents on Catherine's counter than yesterday, piled up into a small mountain. They were all reports submitted by adventurers from various places, indicating that considerable progress had been made in responding to the meteor shower.

Although they didn't collect many meteorite fragments yesterday, the information they gathered was quite important—the holder of the Eye of God is unaffected by meteorites; the location of meteorites can be tracked using elemental power; and clearing away meteorites can awaken people who have fallen into a deep sleep.

These few pieces of important intelligence alone were of great help.

Fischl, the first to arrive at the association, had already enjoyed Catherine's praise and looked quite pleased with himself.

As an investigator in the Adventurers' Guild's intelligence department, such merit would earn Fischl a promotion and a raise—both her adventurer rank and commission rate would increase. Therefore, Fischl was in a very good mood.

Mona was not in a good mood as a result—because Fischl kept calling her "Lady Megistus" in front of Catherine, which was embarrassing.

Although the investigation is progressing well, their investigation task is not yet complete.

The truth behind the meteor shower remains unclear; they need to continue investigating and gathering more clues, and more importantly—

“One good news and one bad news.” Catherine’s expression was somewhat grave.

"Let's start with the good news." Paimon is the kind of person who, when eating cake, will eat the chocolate part first.

Catherine nodded: "The good news is that, based on the information provided by everyone and with the joint efforts of the adventurers, we have cleared a lot of meteorite fragments, and many patients with narcolepsy have awakened."

"And what's the bad news?" Ying asked.

"The bad news is that another meteor shower fell last night, believed to have hit the 'Dawn Winery' in Mondstadt and the 'Yaoguang Beach' area in Liyue," Katherine replied.

"...So you're saying that unless we figure out the source of the meteorite fall, this meteorite shower probably won't stop?" Han Fulai asked, frowning.

Catherine nodded silently. It had been raining meteorites for two consecutive nights, and no one could guarantee that there wouldn't be a third wave tonight.

The meteor showers on Teyvat are not the usual celestial phenomena. According to Mona, they are inherently illogical, making them much harder to predict than things like floods.

Han Fu glanced at Mona, who gently shook her head, indicating that she couldn't determine the number of meteorites either.

According to Mona's divination yesterday, these meteorites originated from someone's "Constellation," but Mona cannot estimate who this "someone" is or how many meteorites his "Constellation" shattered into.

"The speed of cleanup is hard to keep up with the speed of descent..." Even Paimon realized that the problem was not simple.

Fischl huffed and declared, "I never imagined the Seed of Nightmare would be so troublesome... Even though it was wiped out in an instant with the Night's Demon Arrow, its tendency to return is far too dangerous... Hmph, if this continues, it will truly damage the dignity of the Princess of Judgment!"

Oz's voice also betrayed a hint of worry: "Indeed. Although we will carry out cleanup, the meteor shower continues to fall across the continent. If this continues, I'm afraid..."

Fischl shook his head and sighed, "I, Fischl von Rufschloss Nafidot, have traveled through a thousand universes and have never encountered such a formidable enemy. It is neither a pure demon nor a monotonous arcane art... This land is cursing humanity. Only the endless sighs of unfulfilled desires, intertwined with the capricious changes of fate, can produce such an evil curse..."

Oz flapped his wings repeatedly: "How pathetic! Is this humanity's fate? No matter how many times, it breaks my heart."

Their exchange was clearly beyond Paimon's comprehension: "What... what are these meteorites really a curse?"

Fischl said with certainty, “If it’s not a curse on ‘humans,’ why would it cause ‘humans’ to fall into a deep sleep? The living are trapped in a dream, becoming the dead who are neither alive nor dead. How terrifying.”

“But you said it yesterday as ‘the curse of the snow mountain demon,’” Paimon muttered under his breath.

Seeing that this was going to go on and on, Catherine quickly interrupted their conversation: "Oh, right, there's one more thing. Miss Adeline from Dawn Winery sent a message saying she needs the travelers' help. If any of you have time..."

Before she could finish speaking, Fischl hummed in agreement and puffed out her small chest: "It seems that my lofty dream of protecting all souls in the mortal world has inspired the people. Prepare yourselves to come with me to meet the diplomatic envoys of Dawn's Keep!"

The princess, who had just been compassionately showing mercy to the world, changed her mood very quickly.

Oz thoughtfully provided a translator: "The lady said she was honored to accept the invitation."

Han Fulai and Mona had both enjoyed the lavish feast and warm hospitality at Dawn Winery, so they should reciprocate. Ying and Head Maid Adeline were practically acquaintances, so it was only right to check on her after she sent a request for help. Besides, the meteor shower last night had also struck the Dawn Winery area; they could collect some meteorite fragments along the way.

—And this was probably the first time Fischl had been invited by a prestigious family like the Legends, and Her Highness actually went to the banquet.

The luxurious carriage of Dawn Winery, befitting Her Highness the Princess's noble status, was already waiting at the gates of Mondstadt. Two days later, the group once again headed to Dawn Winery.

It was a bit of a pity that Mr. Diluc was still not at the winery.

Of course, if he were there, there would be no need to invite Yingmei and the others to clear the meteorites near the winery; Lord Diluc could handle it himself.

After clearing away the meteorite fragments near the winery, Head Maid Adeline treated everyone to a sumptuous lunch and thanked them for reviving Hartmann, the winery's winemaker, the previous day.

To this, Her Highness the Princess arrogantly declared, "I humbly grant you permission to bow down in reverence for my grace! Rejoice, for my radiance will forever shine in the town of Clear Spring!"

Oz dutifully translated, "The lady said, you're welcome."

Well, even though Han Fulai had a copy of "The Night Tales of Princess Fischl" in his hands, he still couldn't translate the meaning of "You're welcome." Indeed, translation is a very profound subject.

Ying, having grown accustomed to not bothering with Fischl's childish phrasing, directly asked Miss Adeline what she wanted to ask them for help.

Adeline explained her request: "Our Dawn Winery's operations span both Mondstadt and Liyue, and some workers need to deliver goods back and forth, sometimes for several days at a time. Two of them were supposed to return yesterday, but they haven't contacted me yet. I'm worried that they might be stuck somewhere because of this incident... We're short-staffed at the winery lately, and I can't spare the time myself, so I have to swallow my pride and ask for your help."