Readers find Mona's tsundere and coy personality quite adorable, but they're about to be stunned by her home.
Good thing Mona's a tsundere, or they might think she's just flexing her wealth!
The opulence of that dream realm is practically a step above the Dawn Winery! She's conquered her chuunibyou phase!
Now that you think about it, the version of herself in Fischl's heart does share some similarities with Mona herself.
Especially when it comes to wanting an air of mystery—no wonder Fischl likes Mona so much.
So, right now, Fischl's heart is brimming with anticipation about what kind of world Mona's dream will reveal.
The group in the story sets sail toward Mona's dream island. Along the way, the sky begins to change.
In the illustration, what was once a dark night sky suddenly transforms into a canvas of twinkling stars.
The myriad stars converge into a flowing river, a breathtaking sight that leaves everyone in awe.
This dramatic change before even stepping foot inside—what happened to the "shabby" you mentioned, Mona? It's already on par with Fischl's Immernachtreich, isn't it?
As they marvel, the group explores the island. On it, they find a conspicuous pool, likely the entrance to the dream realm.
The idea of possibly needing to swim to enter makes everyone a bit uneasy—especially Paimon, who nearly drowned once and isn't exactly fond of swimming.
Mona, however, is brimming with confidence in her swimming skills. She dives headfirst into the water without a hint of fear.
Perhaps because Mona seems to "dissolve" into the water, she vanishes the moment she plunges into the pool.
[Fischl crosses her arms, turns her head, and lets out a huff in one fluid motion: "It has begun! She's confident in her swimming, so now she's showing off!"]
Having lost to Mona in a swimming contest, Fischl is still a bit salty about it.
She's so hung up on it that she's forgotten her usual chuunibyou flair in her complaints.
Grumbling aside, they still need to follow Mona, so the group jumps into the pool one by one.
Mona entered the pool before Kazuha, almost as if hinting that Kazuha "pulled" Mona in a wish.
Ahem. Inside the dream realm, the group is utterly shocked by the scenery. The first thing that greets their eyes is an enormous armillary sphere.
No, it's so massive it shouldn't be called a single sphere—it's practically a structure!
Just how tall is this Teyvat-style armillary sphere? Hmm… probably about three or four stories high.
Aside from the armillary sphere, this place is a magnificent palace. Star-shaped lanterns float on the water's surface, twinkling like stars in a galaxy.
The walls are adorned with arcane runes glowing faintly, alongside lanterns burning with blue flames.
Looking at the illustrated world, Fischl's eyes widen. It's so beautiful—this is Mona's "inner world"?
[Fischl says: "Though it pales in comparison to the Immernachtreich, it's not bad, Lady Megistus."]
Sure, it's beautiful, but I'm not saying it's better than this Prinzessin's Immernachtreich, okay?
Where this sudden competitive streak came from, no one knows.
And it's not just Fischl. In the illustration, Mona's grinning like a fool, her smile downright goofy. Clearly, she's thrilled with this dream realm.
But the real-world Mona, seeing this, is far from pleased. "I'm not that goofy! Lucian, are you sneaking in your own bias?!"
She's unhappy with her goofy portrayal, but others find it endearing because it's cute.
The reason Mona's smiling so goofily is obvious—she's saved face. After all, face is the most important thing in the world!
If they'd entered the dream and found it was some scene of her being scolded by her master with her ears being pulled, that would've been a total loss of face.
[Mona lets out a soft huff, suppressing her joy: "The dream realm of a genius astrologist naturally has to be grand!"]
She's putting on airs now. For someone as transparent as Mona, everyone can see through her act—except, of course, Mona herself.
But she's just so adorable, and the dream realm is genuinely beautiful, so they let her have her moment.
As readers linger on Mona's antics, they come to a realization: "This 'Arnold' is actually me!"
The real-world Mona is pretty smug about it, her face beaming with an unstoppable smile.
She's fiercely competitive—her drive to win might even rival Xianyun's. So, seeing her dream realm turn out this stunning fills her with pride.
Beaming with satisfaction, Mona continues reading the story, which shifts to exploration and puzzle-solving.
The puzzles in Mona's dream realm are, unsurprisingly, tied to the stars. To progress, they need to align the starry paths corresponding to the gate.
The realm is filled with star charts and celestial tracks, leaving readers dizzy. Some clever ones quickly grasp the puzzle's logic—it's not too hard.
"I get it! But what about astrology? Why can't I still do it?"
Mona's a bit miffed. Lucian seems to understand her astrology so well, even her life's trajectory.
Yet she knows nothing about Lucian's methods of prophecy or his own life path. Doesn't that mean she's lost?!
The narration might as well declare today's defeat belongs to Mona!
Her competitive and comparative nature flares up again. She's been burned by Lucian plenty of times because of this.
Despite being tricked over and over, she never gives up. Each time, she reignites her fighting spirit, determined to compete again.
Even now, Mona's reading with intense focus, hoping to spot some flaw in the prophecy, even if she knows it's unlikely.
In the story, the group solves the star chart puzzle. A single star falls, guiding them onward, leading them back to the armillary sphere.
The star plunges into the pool beneath the sphere and vanishes. The group exchanges glances before diving in after it.
They arrive in what seems to be a deeper layer of the space, where Mona's voice echoes—a voice from her past.
[Mona: "All this time, astrology has been the thing I take pride in."]
And indeed, it is. It's exactly because it's her pride that Mona can't stand being so thoroughly outdone by Lucian.
If Lucian were some old geezer, she might've let it slide. But Lucian's young! Doesn't that mean someone's more of a genius than her?!
In fame, she's no match for Lucian. In wealth, she's no match either. She can't even compete in making friends. And now, even her most cherished astrology falls short of him.
So where does that leave her pride? Mona can't accept it!
It's like always being the top student, praised endlessly by the teacher.
She's always taken pride in that. But one day, she suddenly finds herself in second place.
And no matter how hard she tries, she can't surpass the one in first.
For most people, they might just accept their fate. But Mona's competitive spirit is too strong—she refuses to admit defeat!
Even if she can't surpass him in this lifetime, she'll keep challenging Lucian. She'll prove she's not inferior. That's her pride!
Even if Lucian fools her for a lifetime, she won't give up! Defying fate is Mona's fate!
Most importantly, if Mona truly gave up, she'd start questioning herself: Do I even deserve to be friends with these people? These geniuses from every nation?
It's an unnecessary worry, but that's just her stubborn, prideful nature.
If her pride were shattered, it'd be like her very spirit breaking.