Leaving aside the real-world talk of a test of courage, let's return to the story.
Kuki Shinobu ignores the bickering kids and walks off to start a fire to roast some lavender melons. They're not hungry yet, but it's always good to have food prepared.
Just then, Yanfei returns and chats briefly with Shinobu, revealing that the two are actually 'senior-junior sisters.' Yanfei once served as a substitute teacher for Shinobu's lessons.
Liyue Bar Exam? Professor Yanfei's got you covered.
[Yanfei, pleased with the title of 'Senior Sister': "Mhm, I like that title. It's great!"]
Ganyu, take notes—this is how you embrace the 'Senior Sister' title.
In the book, Yelan joins them, also ignoring the squabbling kids to share information with the 'adults.' She's searched the area but found no exits.
[Yelan: "I hate to say this, but you should prepare yourselves mentally."]
Readers gasp. Mentally prepare? For our last rites?
["If we can't find a way out, we might be stuck underground for a while."]
Readers breathe a sigh of relief. That's it? Just staying longer?
No big deal—Kuki Shinobu brought water and food, so they can last a while. Worst case, there's Ushi. That big cow could probably feed them for a day or two if they ration it. Blame Itto's cow for being so small—it doesn't look like it'd last long.
Most readers don't yet know that Ushi is actually a Geo elemental creature, so, strictly speaking, it's got no meat. If they really tried to eat it, wouldn't that trigger a 'Punishment of Rock'?
Yelan hasn't given up and continues investigating. Meanwhile, the Traveler has an idea. Xiao's here too, right? So if they're in trouble, they can just call for him!
Come on, save us! Someone's drowning! Answer me, Vigilant Yaksha! Guardian of Wangshu Inn, Great Hero of Dihua Marsh—you're out there, right?!
But… no response!
Xiao doesn't answer the Traveler's call, and Lumine immediately tenses up. They saw Xiao earlier, so he should be nearby. If he's not responding, could he be in trouble too?
The atmosphere turns dangerous again, and readers grow anxious. They don't have any 'main character plot armor' confidence—they're genuinely worried the Traveler and the others might die here.
Thankfully, Itto steps up with more clowning, easing the tension a bit. You have to admit, without Itto and Paimon's antics, this story would feel oppressively heavy.
[Yanfei sighs: "Even with my vast knowledge, that's all within the realm of law. I don't know anything about 'jailbreaking'…"]
This part comes with an illustration, showing Itto standing not far behind Yanfei. Jailbreaking? That's his specialty! Besides providing emotional value, Itto's an expert in getting arrested and breaking out.
Yelan, the one tasked with 'catching Itto,' is still searching for clues. When she sees the Traveler approach, she kindly reminds them to take care of themselves.
[Yelan: "Look after yourselves. I'll figure out the rest."]
Saying this in such a situation is like Yelan voluntarily taking on all the pressure and responsibility—talk about a sense of security!
It's worth noting that this makeshift team is quite the mix: Yelan, the one who arrests; Itto, the one who gets arrested; Yanfei and Kuki Shinobu, the defense attorneys; and the Traveler, the 'wanted criminal.' It's a full-on self-contained industry chain.
No matter how optimistic they sound, the group in the book can't see the sun. Trapped in this unknown underground space, they can't get out and can only wait bitterly. Being underground blurs their sense of time, and they lose track of how long they've been there.
[Paimon, glumly: "I really want to run freely in the outside world!"]
[Traveler teases: "Aren't you always flying?"]
[Paimon: "Then I want to fly freely! Ugh, I just want to get out!"]
Even the usually upbeat Paimon is feeling down, which shows how serious things are. Stranger still, everyone's perception of time is completely different. Lumine feels like it's been a day, Paimon thinks it's been almost a month, and Itto estimates three to five days.
It's normal to have some discrepancy without a way to track time, but such a huge gap is abnormal. Even weirder, despite the time that's passed, no one feels thirsty, hungry, tired, or even sleepy.
Forget the others—Paimon, the biggest foodie, thinks it's been over twenty days and still doesn't want to eat. That's way too strange!
Readers latch onto a key phrase: time stagnation.
Ei perks up. Could this place be related to 'Istaroth'? It's so 'eternal' here! If she were still chasing her past ideals of eternity, this place would be a paradise.
In Sumeru, Layla feels a pang of envy. Where is this place? I want to go! If I could get in, I'd have more time to write my thesis! Writing papers always gives her a headache—she never has enough time, and she's no genius. Oddly, though, every time she wakes up from a nap, her thesis is done. She doesn't know who the kind soul is.
The handwriting matches hers, but Layla's sure she didn't write it. The papers are logically sound, data-accurate, and even critique others' work. The first two points aside, critiquing others' papers is something Layla would never dare do, so it has to be someone else—a good samaritan!
For someone like Layla, who's always short on time, time stagnation might be a blessing. But for the group trapped here, it's anything but good.
The Traveler tells everyone about failing to summon Xiao, and the group turns into a brainstorming session, analyzing the situation. Xiao is the Vigilant Yaksha, Protector Yaksha, General Alatus! If even he's trapped here, the danger level of this place just shot up.
Readers are on edge, desperately hoping no one dies here. Geo Archon, this is Liyue—come save them!
But they're just shouting into the void—the Geo Archon isn't around.
Just when morale hits rock bottom, Yelan finds an exit! It was hidden by an illusion, and Yelan, after a long search, discovered it. As a descendant of thaumaturges, she knows enough magic to dispel the illusion.
Nahida, reading this, feels something's off. Why does it seem like this exit just appeared out of nowhere? Could this space somehow respond to the 'wishes' of those trapped inside?
Nahida furrows her brow, hoping it's truly granting wishes and not setting them up for greater despair.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Xiao: About 'Trouble'
"The Geo Archon told me not to hesitate to trouble him, but my duty is to handle 'troubles' for him, isn't it…?"