The previous island was Kaedehara Kazuha's story, so, as expected, this time it's likely the turn of the remaining musician, Xinyan.
Xinyan doesn't hesitate and immediately taps the drum to see what's up.
With that tap, the group is whisked into a dream. This time, the secret realm isn't Kazuha's labyrinthine estate, much to everyone's relief.
Xinyan is also with the group, unlike Kazuha, who was waiting alone at the endpoint while everyone navigated a maze.
No one complains about this, but if someone did gripe to Kazuha, with his personality, he'd genuinely say:
"My apologies, my oversight," and feel guilty.
So, let's not complain about Kazuha and move on with the story.
Xinyan's illusion is desolate and barren, with only a few empty islands floating in the sky.
It seems the form of the illusion is deeply tied to the life experiences and personality of its master.
Kazuha's home couldn't possibly have all those "security measures," so it must reflect his personality—approaching Kazuha's heart is somewhat difficult.
He's approachable and kind, but truly becoming his friend is a challenge.
Xinyan's illusion is open and straightforward, suggesting she's as simple and easy to understand as she appears.
The group moves forward, following the glowing lights on the island.
The puzzles in this illusion involve drums, horns, zithers, and sheet music—all tied to music, clearly connected to Xinyan's passions and experiences.
Compared to this, it's hard to fathom what kind of experiences led to Kazuha's upside-down, room-shifting puzzles, though fighting samurai was easier to grasp.
They reach the highest island, where a locked door blocks their path. No one knows how to open it.
[Traveler: "Mona, turn into water and slip through."]
[Mona: "What nonsense are you talking about?"]
Mona: I can't get in—no way I could, right?
But a door appearing here—could it represent a "barrier" in Xinyan's heart? Has she already locked away her heart and love?
[Xinyan: "I'm the kind of person who'd leave the key under the flowerpot by the door, so… there's probably a key nearby."]
Alright, maybe that was overthinking it. If this were locking away her heart, it'd be:
Heart locked, key under the flowerpot, accessible to a 1.8-meter-tall handsome guy.
They find the key, unlock the door, and step into a completely different world.
It's no longer as empty as outside. The door leads into a cave, much more confined.
The group presses forward and encounters a withered giant flower—"Heart of Blazing Flame."
The flower speaks, telling them this is the hall of music, where all who come seek the pinnacle of musical expression.
Xinyan: This is the hall of music—come be a guest at my place.
The music Xinyan pursues is rock 'n' roll, and the emotion she pours into it can be summed up in five words: "Sing loud to defy!!!"
Venti wants to applaud—defiance and music are such a perfect match!!! Such taste!
Strange, how is she not from Mondstadt?
In the story, the Heart of Blazing Flame greatly admires Xinyan's musical taste, but sadly, it can't open the door to the deeper realm right now. It needs to wet its throat with some water.
Not the water Mona could conjure, but "Cold Mountain Sweet Spring."
Xinyan pauses slightly—this name is quite familiar to her…
As a child, she went searching for this spring. Her mother told her it was a magical spring that could make your singing voice beautiful.
She searched for a long time but never found it. In the end, her father brought it to her.
Now, she knows her mother was lying to her, but she never expected this spring to appear in a dream. Could it be that, deep down, she still believes in it?
Continuing the story, the brave team, tasked with a "village chief" mission, sets out.
The Traveler and company don't find the "Cold Mountain Sweet Spring," but they do find a letter along the way, written by Teacher Albedo.
The miraculous Teacher Albedo had visited this island during the last island story, acting alone. Turns out, he came here to listen to music.
While everyone else was playing with kids, he was enjoying music alone—how leisurely.
It seems that after discovering who the "mastermind" was, he truly relaxed.
Even while relaxing, he left a letter to remind those who came after: the mountains on this island play music—don't forget to listen.
In the story, the group doesn't yet know how to listen, so they focus on finding the "Cold Mountain Sweet Spring."
After finding the "Cold Mountain Sweet Spring," Xinyan shares the story she heard: drinking this water makes your singing voice beautiful.
In the story, Kazuha suggests Mona try it. Mona frantically waves her hands, saying she can't sing, and if it doesn't work, it'd be super embarrassing—showing she's still quite shy.
This is where she differs from Fischl. Fischl, even when shy, will stubbornly talk tough until she's teased to her breaking point.
This is the moment for Lumine to shine—she can sing! Her famous song: "Da~ da da da da~ da da~!"
And another classic, the hummed version of "The Goddess Splits the View," widely praised by Shenhe alone—a one-person standing ovation.
Back to Mona: regarding her inability to sing, Xinyan naturally volunteers to be her teacher.
Mona is actually somewhat interested in singing but is too shy to try, afraid of being laughed at.
After Xinyan reassures her multiple times that she won't laugh, Mona agrees.
In reality, Mona's face turns red with embarrassment. How does Lucian know even this!? He doesn't know what I sound like singing, does he? No way, no way!?
Mona increasingly wants to take a swing at Lucian. Who knows how many embarrassing things he's aware of?
No wonder everyone wants to take down the prophet—this must be why.
Ganyu completely relates. After her own exposure, she felt like she couldn't properly be a Qilin for days!
If she didn't have a good relationship with Lucian, she'd at least make him take five arrows to the back and call it suicide!
Just kidding—Ganyu is incredibly gentle. Even if a stranger wrote her story, she wouldn't do anything. At most, she'd munch on Qingxin petals in melancholy.
Can't go hungry, right… It'd be such a waste not to eat the petals after picking them.
Suddenly relating, Ganyu can't even muster a complaint, only looking at Lucian with a wronged expression.
Lucian doesn't look at her—he's reading the story.
He's pretending. He's actually quite free, having just been grabbed by Ei as a shield before escaping.
Back to the story: the group brings the "Cold Mountain Sweet Spring" to the Heart of Blazing Flame. The Heart of Blazing Flame declares: I'm revived! And bursts into flames.
The "revived" Heart of Blazing Flame opens the door to the deeper parts of the illusion for the group.
The deeper realm has only one path, lined with paper windows. The silhouettes on the windows are all too familiar to Xinyan.
Stepping closer to listen, as expected, the silhouette is of Xinyan's mother.
Seeing this, Kuki Shinobu might relate too.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Ganyu: About Xinyan
"She's far stronger than I imagined. Rock 'n' roll… I don't think it's for me, right?"