The owner of this fateful star, Leonard, should have lived thousands of years ago, yet his wish has not weakened over these millennia.
He might have been an ancient who yearned to conquer towering peaks, an adventurer just like the Traveler.
However, more information is needed to confirm this, so the Traveler decides to inquire at the Adventurers' Guild.
Since Leonard was an adventurer, it's only natural to seek clues at the Adventurers' Guild. Katheryne remembers many adventurers by that name, and among them, one wrote a book titled "The Book of Mountains and Seas."
Unfortunately, the book is missing words and pages, but fortunately, Mona can fill in the gaps using her astrolabe and decipher its contents.
The book resembles an autobiography. Leonard was an adventurer from two thousand years ago, and his lifelong dream was to climb a snow-capped mountain called "Polaris Peak."
From this, it seems his "wish" resides within the meteorite, and its core likely lies on Polaris Peak.
However, even after searching all of Mondstadt, no mountain named "Polaris Peak" could be found.
At this point, not just foreign readers but even the people of Mondstadt are baffled.
Polaris Peak? What's that? Isn't Dragonspine the only snowy mountain in Mondstadt?
A peak so formidable that it remained unconquered in one's lifetime shouldn't be some obscure, nameless mountain.
In the next passage of the book, Mona immediately provides the answer:
"I've read in books that the Anemo Archon Barbatos once used his divine power to disperse blizzards and reshape Mondstadt's terrain for the sake of his people."
"The former mountains were replaced by an endless sea, but if that mountain were placed into the ocean, given its original height, traces of it would still remain."
"The part of its summit that still protrudes above the water is now called—Musk Reef."
The readers are stunned. They already knew the Anemo Archon flattened mountains to form the Golden Apple Archipelago, but they hadn't realized he was also the one who cleared the blizzards. Such terrifying divine power rivals even the Geo Archon's!
Honestly, you two—one creates mountains, the other flattens them—you're quite the pair.
Furina can't help but sigh in awe. The gods are truly formidable. If she were a god too, with such power, perhaps she could save Fontaine?
A mountain so towering that even when submerged, its peak still breaks the surface—how terrifyingly high must it have been?
For Leonard to aspire to conquer such a peak, he must have been no ordinary adventurer.
And yet, a mountain that Leonard couldn't conquer in his entire lifetime was effortlessly flattened by Barbatos? That incident with Signora seems a bit underwhelming in comparison...
Signora, still aboard a ship bound for Snezhnaya, remains unaware of the book's contents, but the people of Mondstadt now know.
"Lord Barbatos, we shall forever remember your divine miracles." Barbara prays.
That man Dainsleif once asked what the Anemo Archon had ever done for them to deserve churches and statues in his honor.
He simply didn't understand—Barbatos has done so much for them that a mere statue and church are hardly adequate repayment.
Even the most "irreverent" nun, Rosaria, would never deny Barbatos's contributions.
Her stance is simply like Keqing's: she believes humans shouldn't rely on gods for everything and should handle their own affairs.
Every nation has people like this—Diluc in Mondstadt, Keqing in Liyue, Ayato in Inazuma, Alhaitham in Sumeru, and Rene in Fontaine.
And the gods? They actually adore and support such individuals.
Just look at Venti—right now, he's happily drinking with the "godless" Rosaria.
"So? Am I amazing or what~?" Venti stands up, grinning.
He's not a humble god. Venti is the type who sings about his own legends in his spare time.
This is a tavern, and Venti's antics don't disturb anyone—instead, they liven up the atmosphere.
The tavern-goers turn their attention to him, clapping enthusiastically.
Truth be told, most people in the tavern aren't reading—they're just drinking and chatting.
But if the Anemo Archon stands up and declares himself amazing, of course they'll cheer!
Look, he's praising himself!
Even if they don't know what's happening, they'll clap along—everyone else is doing it, after all.
"Lord Barbatos is the greatest!"
"Oh~! The world's finest bard!"
The oblivious Mondstadters grow rowdier. This is a tavern—it's easy to get swept up in the excitement.
As long as they're not brawling, Diluc won't bother stopping them.
"Chug! Chug!" Kaeya joins the chanting crowd.
Venti, caught up in the energy, plants one foot on his chair and raises a bottle—he's going to chug it for the audience!
"Wooohooo!!"
"So impressive!!"
This is clearly the kind of spectacle Mondstadters love, and soon, everyone is raising their own bottles to join in.
But let's ignore these rowdy Mondstadters and return to the story.
The Traveler and Mona arrive at Musk Reef, now nothing more than a tiny island.
Paimon notices that someone else is already there—they arrived even earlier.
It's the Balladeer, who has just awoken from a dream.
The Traveler's group is a step too late—his research (the "score") is already complete.
[The Balladeer shares part of his findings: "The starry sky itself is one colossal lie."]
This statement feels like a deliberate provocation against Mona's astrology, but the Balladeer offers no further explanation, leaving with one final remark:
["Farewell, amateurs."]
Mona, with her pride, can't possibly let such mockery slide. You leave just like that, and then call me an amateur?!
[Mona: "How dare you look down on me! Ugh... It's time they learned the wrath of a genius!"]
And so, an enraged Mona proceeds to beat up the Fatui soldiers left behind as rearguard.
[Mona: "Paimon, you think I'm amazing too, right? Right, right?"]
The proud Mona seeks validation—she needs praise.
[Paimon: "Yeah, yeah! Without Mona, we'd probably be in way bigger trouble."]
Satisfied with the affirmation, Mona cheers up and mutters to herself:
["Hmph, hear that, Fatui Harbinger? You... bad man!"]
"..." The Balladeer says nothing. He didn't hear it back then, but he's seeing it now.
Mona is quite pleased. In Love and Teyvat, she came off as a comedic character, but now everyone gets to see how formidable she really is.
She used to think Lucian was a bad man too, but now it seems he's actually pretty decent.
At this moment, Mona remains blissfully unaware that she's been fooled by Lucian—and she might never realize it.
Still, while Mona might be a bit slow in this regard, her instincts in astrology are sharp.
The Balladeer's words about the false sky remind her of her master's teachings regarding the "False Sky."
But now isn't the time to dwell on this—it's something Mona must research on her own.
The mystery of the false sky has captured not just Mona's interest but the attention of many others.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice-Over: Mona — About Lucian
"He's a good person, but I've realized he can make prophecies without any astrological tools—that's terrifyingly powerful! I must figure out how he does it!"