[Xinyan: "My wish is…"]
Xinyan opens her eyes, and before her are the Traveler and her friends. The group has emerged from the illusion.
The wish she just made was "to hold a concert with someone no one would expect."
Nahida reflects inwardly, feeling a pang. How wonderful—it's completely different from the scene she sees when she opens her eyes.
Nahida never imagined that, in this story, she'd be the one most emotionally shaken.
A god who never leaves her confines, broken by someone from distant Liyue.
Based on the story's direction, Nahida has already guessed what's coming. As expected, later in the story, everyone will help her fulfill her wish.
Because, at its core, this dream is orchestrated by Nahida. She doesn't want to torment anyone—on the contrary, she's helping them realize their wishes.
The dream appears to be about confronting inner demons, but in reality, they've already overcome these experiences. They have no inner demons.
Well, not exactly—Fischl does have inner demons, which is why she's too scared to act with the group now. While others fulfill their wishes, Fischl can fulfill hers and confront her demons at the same time.
See, she's different from the others—she gets a bonus! As expected of the Prinzessin, effortlessly doing what we can't!
Alright, it's actually because she's the only one who hasn't moved on. Everyone else has found peace.
Nahida is too kind, actively helping everyone fulfill their wishes in the dream.
For five hundred years, she's done this countless times. Sadly, dreams aren't reality, and often, she can only offer psychological comfort.
The island's dream was created by the Fatui using Nahida's abilities, but by chance—or perhaps not by chance—Nahida discovered it.
Dreams fall under Nahida's domain, so this dream is now hers.
In the dream, the group wants the "sound" of this mountain, as Teacher Albedo mentioned.
But even after clearing the water veins, no music plays, so they return to the illusion to ask the big flower.
The Blazing Flame introduces them to an ice flower, and from another "Heart of Frozen Seal," they obtain a leaf, seemingly a key item.
After clearing the water veins of the remaining two mountains, the island truly becomes a giant instrument, awaiting Xinyan's performance.
Now, Xinyan has found that "person no one would expect"—the creator of this island.
No one knows who they are, but they must be a great musician.
[Xinyan: "Today, I won't play rock 'n' roll. Let's show everyone something new!"]
She's going to play a tune more suited to the island's original inhabitants—low-key and soothing.
The text turns into an illustration. In it, Xinyan removes the iron spike rings from her hair.
With her long hair flowing, Xinyan closes her eyes and plays her zither. The wind lifts her hair, and she's breathtakingly beautiful, leaving everyone in awe.
The illustration shifts to a young Xinyan, leaning on a windowsill, watching someone play an instrument outside, her eyes sparkling as she imagines herself playing. This is the origin of her love.
The next illustration shows her as an adult, playing for real—not imagination, not a dream, but reality.
[Xinyan: "I hope the you from the past enjoys this duet too."]
It's unclear whether Xinyan is speaking to her past self or the island's past inhabitant.
In the illustration, Xinyan opens her eyes, her long hair flowing in the wind—another stunning moment. Which is more beautiful, this or her rock 'n' roll look?
Most might say long-haired Xinyan is more beautiful, which is normal. Perhaps Xinyan herself knows that look aligns more with everyone's tastes.
But hairstyles and makeup—aren't they for making yourself happy?
Xinyan loves her current look, so she styles herself this way.
She didn't expect people to dislike her hairstyle so much, but if they don't like it, they don't like it.
They also dislike her rock 'n' roll, thinking girls should do gentle, refined things.
No one can please everyone—even Morax has his haters. So, liking it herself is enough.
Mainstream ideas can't restrain Xinyan, and stereotypes can't sway her, because she just wants to do what she loves.
A thousand words boil down to Xinyan's favorite phrase—sing loud to defy!
This is a story readers absolutely love, though they regret not hearing Xinyan's music.
When they have money, they'll definitely buy a book that can play sounds.
Zhongli isn't worried. A book with sound might be hard to come by, but a play with sound will happen—Yun Jin will surely adapt it.
The book might be out of reach, but Xinyan's concert is something they can see. In a way, Lucian's inadvertently promoted Xinyan.
Back to the story: after enjoying the music, Kaedehara Kazuha suggests checking the Fatui camp again.
The group currently has a poor impression of the Fatui and remains wary of them.
So, with a Fatui camp here, Kazuha can't rest easy—he needs to check it daily.
Mona also knows about the Fatui. Though her Hydro scrying is heavily disrupted, she still gleaned some information about them from the little she recovered.
Lucian writes in the book: "She truly is a genius."
To see through the Fatui's involvement with just that tiny bit of recovery—what is that if not genius?
If it weren't for the interference of gods like Nahida, I can't imagine how Mona would dominate this story.
So, "taking out" the prophet first was the right call. Nahida's wisdom shines.
Mona, reading Lucian's words, grins so wide she laughs out loud, drawing frequent glances from Fischl, who's a bit worried about her best friend's mental state.
Sadly, Mona doesn't drool—not "wise" enough.
Her giddy laughter is, of course, because Lucian acknowledged her as a genius.
Don't underestimate this acknowledgment. If an ordinary person called her a genius, she'd feel little, maybe give a tsundere head-toss, flick her hair, and say, "Hmph, of course I am."
But being acknowledged by the Traveler or Lucian feels entirely different.
The Traveler is genuinely amazing, with a stellar reputation across Teyvat. Being recognized by her makes Mona happy and a bit shy.
But Lucian's acknowledgment is another level entirely. She sees him as the benchmark of genius—a young prophet whose skills rival the old hag's.
When a genius like that calls her a genius, it's an overwhelming sense of validation. She's floating—okay, she's totally floating.
What's the difference between being praised by an ordinary person and by Lucian?
It's like the gap between being called a great general by Zhao Gou or Zhu Qizhen versus being called one by Li Shimin or Ying Zheng.
The latter two had countless great generals under them. In Mona's eyes, Lucian has seen countless geniuses too.
So when Lucian calls her a genius, she's over the moon.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Mona: About 'Genius'
"What? You heard about Lucian's praise for me too? Oh, it's no big deal. This genius's skills are just that good."