Recaps

Lin En and Ronava spent another day together in Fontaine, buying a Kamera and visiting the aquarium. As they walked back to the inn, Lin En told her he had enjoyed the day because she was with him.

• Ronava led Lin En to a Kamera shop, where he bought an older model for 100,000 Mora.
• Lin En photographed Ronava outside the shop, and Ronava took a picture of him in return.
• Ronava took Lin En to the aquarium, where they watched the sea life and took more photographs.
• Lin En shared food with Ronava by the harbor, and she asked whether he had enjoyed the day.
• Lin En said he had enjoyed it because she was with him, and they walked back beneath the sun.

Lin En and Ronava won a place on a Fontaine canal night cruise, where Lin En received a mission to spend the night cruising with her and gain Hydro affinity. Their answers in a compatibility challenge revealed what each feared most.

• Lin En received a system mission to take a night cruise on the Fontaine canal with Ronava, and he persuaded her to enter the lottery.
• Lin En lost the draw, but Ronava won first prize and brought him aboard as her guest.
• Lin En and Ronava boarded the pleasure boat and watched the nighttime scenery of the Court of Fontaine from a private VIP room.
• The pair answered questions about each other's preferences and fears for a two-person compatibility challenge.
• The staff revealed that Ronava feared Lin En dying before her, while Lin En had answered that she feared parting.

Lin En and Ronava confronted their fears about mortality and separation, then exchanged Fontaine rings on the pleasure boat. They returned to the inn with their feelings closer to the surface, and Lin En fell asleep after promising to remember Ronava’s answers and keep her from worrying.

• Lin En read Ronava’s answer that he would die first, and Ronava admitted she feared he would one day be gone.
• Lin En promised Ronava he would not leave, and they exchanged the handcrafted Fontaine rings.
• Lin En and Ronava left the boat and walked back to the inn, where Lin En wondered what Ronava meant about understanding her heart.
• Lin En told Ronava he remembered her three answers so he could keep her from worrying, and she told him to keep his word.
• Lin En and Ronava went to bed, and Lin En soon fell asleep beside her.

Lin En and Ronava encountered Arlecchino, who delivered the Tsaritsa’s offer to cooperate and hinted at an interest in Lin En. Ronava rejected the approach, then continued their outing to Fontaine’s great waterfall, where she explained that the Tsaritsa had been probing them.

• Lin En and Ronava walked through the Court of Fontaine and met Arlecchino, who gave Ronava a letter inviting her to speak with the Tsaritsa.
• Arlecchino said Snezhnaya would no longer be Ronava’s enemy if she cooperated, and suggested the Tsaritsa was curious about Lin En.
• Ronava refused to cooperate, and Arlecchino left the letter behind before departing with her companion.
• Ronava told Lin En not to leave her sight, then continued their planned trip to the waterfall.
• At the waterfall, Ronava explained that the Tsaritsa was uncertain about Lin En’s origins and her recovery, so Arlecchino’s visit had been a probe.
• Lin En reassured Ronava that he would not remain ordinary, and the two held hands before heading back.

Lin En tested his new Hydro affinity and discovered that it could slowly heal old injuries, then drew a talent card that increased his strength when his health was critically low. When three masked attackers ambushed him by the river, he recognized them and began fighting back, ending the chapter as the skirmish continued.

• Lin En secretly left the inn and used Hydro to raise a small column of water, discovering that it soothed and gradually healed the lingering pain in his left arm.
• Lin En used his prize draw and received a talent card that increased his strength as his health fell, up to three times its normal level below 1%.
• An arrow struck toward Lin En, and he blocked it with a rock wall before spotting an archer and two armed figures closing in.
• Lin En drew Ronava's longsword and dodged the greatsword wielder's swing, then knocked aside a fast sword thrust.
• Lin En caught an arrow with his bare hand and recognized that the three attackers were testing him, so he prepared to teach them a lesson.

Lin En fought Arlecchino in a riverbank duel, and his Hydro healing and other powers grew stronger as the battle continued. Arlecchino left after they exchanged blows, and Ronava told Lin En that his final strike had injured her wrist.

• Lin En defeated the masked men's coordinated attack, knocking down the greatsword wielder and driving off the archer while the swordsman hesitated.
• Arlecchino emerged from the alley and challenged Lin En with a dark red scythe as Ronava watched from the inn balcony.
• Lin En defended against Arlecchino's increasingly powerful strikes, while Hydro healed his wounds and his strength rose during the fight.
• Lin En and Arlecchino clashed in a final exchange, then both stepped back; Arlecchino put away her scythe and left.
• Lin En changed his damaged clothes upstairs, and Ronava told him his last sword strike had injured Arlecchino's wrist.

Lin En and Ronava spent their last day in Fontaine strolling along the canal, taking photographs together, and preparing to leave for Natlan. They ended the night holding hands, with their journey set to begin at daybreak.

• Lin En and Ronava walked through Fontaine, shared a sweet, and took a photograph together with the help of a flower shop owner.
• Lin En and Ronava rested at the opera house plaza and talked about their upcoming journey through Sumeru to Natlan.
• Lin En and Ronava made extra copies of their photograph and put them in their separate photo albums.
• Lin En restocked their provisions while Ronava waited outside, and they packed their belongings at the inn.
• Ronava said that going out with Lin En was better than being alone, and they fell asleep holding hands.

Lin En and Ronava traveled from Fontaine through the Vourukasha Oasis and Mount Damavand to reach Natlan. They arrived at the Children of Echoes during a tribal event and saw a young woman defeat a larger competitor.

• Ronava woke Lin En before dawn, and they boarded a ferry from Fontaine Harbor to the Vourukasha Oasis.
• After arriving at the oasis, Lin En and Ronava walked south past Mount Damavand toward Natlan.
• Ronava carried Lin En across the shallow water marking Natlan's border, and they continued to the Children of Echoes.
• A resident asked whether they had come for the Trillion Trinket Trawl event, and Ronava explained that the tribes held competitions around this time each year.
• Lin En and Ronava watched a young woman in a red headscarf take down a much larger man in the settlement's central clearing.

Lin En and Ronava met Mavuika in Natlan, where Ronava said she was seeking the Celestial Nail and warned that the Abyss might be operating in the region. They found lodging near the pilgrimage warrior selection, while Ronava admitted she was using Mavuika’s hostility toward the Abyss to help their investigation.

• Lin En and Ronava watched a warrior match before Mavuika arrived with Xilonen and learned that her bike would take three days to repair.
• Mavuika confronted Ronava, who said she had come to borrow some of the Celestial Nail’s power.
• In a stone chamber, Ronava told Mavuika that a supply line from an Abyssal formation on Tsurumi Island pointed southwest, though she did not know where it led.
• Mavuika questioned Ronava’s motives, met Lin En, and warned them not to cause trouble during the Children of Echoes’ pilgrimage selection.
• Ronava privately told Lin En that the supply line’s destination was uncertain and that they could use Mavuika’s hatred of the Abyss.
• Lin En and Ronava rented a room overlooking the selection grounds, where Mavuika and Xilonen watched another match.

After Kachina won the Children of Echoes' selection tournament, Ronava called the fighters weak and accepted Mavuika's challenge. Ronava defeated Mavuika in their sparring match, and Mavuika invited her to dinner to discuss her plans, but Ronava refused.

• Kachina defeated a burly opponent with Turbo Twirly and won the selection tournament.
• Ronava criticized the tournament and said Kachina was still too weak, provoking Mavuika into challenging her.
• Ronava agreed to fight Mavuika and told Lin En she would only teach her a lesson.
• Mavuika attacked Ronava with a series of punches, but Ronava dodged them and briefly numbed her arm with a strike to her elbow joint.
• Ronava outmaneuvered Mavuika and tapped the back of her neck, ending the fight; Mavuika acknowledged her skill and invited her to dinner.
• Ronava advised Mavuika to observe more before striking, then declined her invitation.

After losing to Ronava, Mavuika watched her leave with Lin En, who then followed Ronava into Natlan’s Night Kingdom to reach the Celestial Nail. There, they encountered Capitano and learned that Asmoday had altered the Nail with an energy-enhancement device, and Ronava began attacking its barrier while Lin En and Capitano guarded the portal.

• Mavuika admitted defeat to Ronava and asked Xilonen when the vehicle could be repaired.
• Before dawn, Ronava told Lin En that Natlan’s Celestial Nail was in the Night Kingdom and led him to a black stone stele entrance.
• Ronava opened the stele’s portal, and she and Lin En entered the Night Kingdom, where Lin En spotted the Celestial Nail overhead.
• Capitano appeared and told Ronava and Lin En that Asmoday had installed an energy-enhancement device on the Nail a few days earlier.
• Capitano agreed to help Ronava, and she asked him and Lin En to guard the portal while she tried to break the Nail’s barrier.
• Ronava’s spear made the barrier flash and shook the Night Kingdom, drawing monsters toward them.

Lin En and Capitano fought off monsters in the Night Kingdom before Asmoday arrived to stop Ronava from interfering with her device. After Asmoday hinted that Phanes was in trouble and left, Ronava decided to return and find out what had happened.

• Lin En and Capitano fought together against waves of ghosts and hounds until the monsters withdrew.
• Asmoday appeared above the Celestial Nail and attacked Ronava, warning her not to interfere with the device.
• Asmoday said Phanes could barely look after herself, then told Ronava to take Lin En away before the device activated and departed through a portal.
• Lin En healed Ronava’s cut, and Capitano asked what Asmoday intended to do with the device.
• Ronava thanked Capitano and said she would return to investigate what had happened to Phanes.

After leaving the Night Kingdom, Ronava and Lin En told Mavuika that Asmoday had tampered with Natlan’s Celestial Nail. Ronava revealed that Asmoday planned to destroy Natlan’s Ley Lines and unleash the Abyss to force Phanes into a confrontation, and she and Lin En chose to wait rather than intervene.

• Ronava told Mavuika that Asmoday, not her, had tampered with Natlan’s Celestial Nail, and Lin En confirmed her account.
• Mavuika let Ronava and Lin En leave after warning that she would hold them responsible if Natlan suffered.
• Ronava told Lin En that Asmoday had installed a device to destroy Natlan’s Ley Lines and release the Abyss, forcing Phanes to intervene.
• Ronava explained that Asmoday intended to exploit a coming clash between the God of Cryo and Phanes, benefiting whichever side fell.
• Ronava chose to watch and wait, and Lin En said he would follow her.

Ronava and Lin En returned to Liyue Harbor to wait for the conflict among the Tsaritsa, Phanes, and the Abyss to unfold, but their lack of money became an immediate problem. After arriving nearly broke, Lin En was saddled with a two-million-Mora debt when a mysterious man used his system to take out a loan.

• Ronava told Lin En they would return to Liyue and wait for the Tsaritsa, Phanes, Asmoday, and events in Natlan to make their moves.
• After five days of travel, Ronava and Lin En reached Liyue Harbor with almost no Mora and bought flatbread before renting the cheapest room they could find.
• Ronava planned to visit the Geo Archon the next day and suggested they take commissions if he could not help them.
• Lin En saw the system offer a Mora loan, then a middle-aged man appeared and used the system to borrow one million Mora in Lin En's name, leaving him owing two million.

Lin En and Ronava sought work in Liyue after learning Zhongli was away, but Katheryne barred Ronava from registering with the Adventurers' Guild because of her background. Lin En signed up and chose a Hilichurl-clearing commission, planning to handle it alone while Ronava waited.

• Lin En woke hungry, shared his borrowed Mora with Ronava, and went with her to find Zhongli, who was away at Wangshu Inn.
• Hu Tao told them Zhongli would not return until evening, so Lin En and Ronava headed to the Adventurers' Guild to earn money.
• Katheryne said Lin En could register as an adventurer, but Ronava would have to travel to Snezhnaya for a month-long security assessment.
• Lin En registered and selected an eight-thousand-Mora commission to clear a Hilichurl camp in an abandoned mine.
• Lin En told Ronava he would take the commission alone, and she agreed to wait at the inn and urged him to be careful.

Lin En returned to Liyue Harbor and took an Adventurers' Guild assessment commission, with Zibai assigned as his assessor. After Lin En passed the mine trial despite unexpected enemies, Zibai suggested a way for Ronava to join future commissions and bribed Lin En not to tell her about the assessment.

• Lin En met Zibai at the Adventurers' Guild and learned she would assess him on a commission to clear a Hilichurl camp in an abandoned mine.
• Lin En entered the mine and defeated four Hilichurls, then discovered more than ten enemies led by a Samachurl deeper inside.
• Zibai initially refused to help, but rushed into the mine when Lin En pointed out she would lose her assessor's pay if she failed to assist during an unexpected situation.
• Lin En and Zibai defeated the remaining Hilichurls, and Zibai gave Lin En a passing assessment despite joking that he had exceeded the time limit.
• Zibai advised Lin En to team up with someone if Ronava could not register for a commission, then offered him half her Mora to keep the assessment from Ronava.

After a tiring day of commissions, Lin En went with Ronava to find Zhongli, who revealed that the Tsaritsa planned to attack the Life Ruler in half a month and wanted Ronava’s help. Ronava chose to remain without her authority and seek a peaceful life, while Lin En pledged to stand by her against the Heavenly Principles.

• Lin En returned to the inn exhausted after completing commissions, then agreed to accompany Ronava to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
• Hu Tao told Lin En and Ronava that Zhongli had gone to Bubu Pharmacy, where they found him speaking with Baizhu and Qiqi.
• Zhongli revealed that the Tsaritsa had asked him to tell Ronava she would move against the Life Ruler in half a month and needed Ronava’s cooperation.
• Ronava rejected the Tsaritsa’s request and said she wanted to live peacefully without her authority, despite Zhongli warning that the Heavenly Principles might hold her responsible.
• Lin En took Ronava’s hand and vowed to face the Heavenly Principles with her, prompting Zhongli to say the Heavenly Principles was currently occupied and could be dealt with later.

After Zhongli's unpaid pharmacy bill sent Lin En and Ronava fleeing, Lin En comforted her when she cried over his promise to protect her. They shared dinner and agreed to take commissions together, then went to bed with Ronava worrying about what she would do if Lin En died.

• Baizhu told Zhongli that his medicine cost five thousand Mora and that the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor already owed eighty thousand, so Zhongli asked Lin En and Ronava if they had money.
• Lin En shouted that they had none and pulled Ronava away, then comforted her when she asked whether his defiance of the Heavenly Principles had been sincere.
• Lin En bought Ronava a late-night meal, and they agreed she would accompany him on commissions the next day.
• On the walk back, Ronava said she might fight the Heavenly Principles to the death if they killed Lin En, and Lin En tightened his grip on her hand.
• At the inn, Ronava took the outside of the bed and admitted she kept wondering what she would do if Lin En were gone; he promised to be more careful.

Lin En teamed up with Chongyun and Ronava to search The Chasm for a missing exploration team and its Geo sample case. They found two survivors in an underground cavern, who revealed that other teammates were still trapped on the lowest level.

• Lin En accepted a five-hundred-thousand-Mora commission and recruited Chongyun to meet its two-person requirement.
• Lin En, Ronava, and Chongyun traveled to The Chasm, where Chongyun warned them about the mines' hazards and gave them Qingxin talismans.
• The party followed fresh footprints into an underground cavern and found scattered supplies and highly concentrated Geo crystals, but no explorers.
• The three followed a second passage and heard voices before finding two injured members of the exploration team.
• The survivors told Lin En, Ronava, and Chongyun that more teammates remained trapped on the lowest level and asked them for help.

Lin En, Chongyun, and Ronava descended into the Chasm’s lowest mine to rescue the exploration team and investigate a breach that released Abyss monsters. After defeating a Rockshell Beast, they found the five missing miners fleeing a larger horde and an Abyss Herald, and stayed behind to face them.

• Old Chen told Lin En, Chongyun, and Ronava that mining had opened a crack in the wall, releasing black-and-red mist that trapped five members of his team on the lowest level.
• The three used a teleportation array to reach the lowest level and followed footprints from the mining site south through the dark passage.
• Lin En, Chongyun, and Ronava fought and defeated an Abyss Rockshell Beast that was clawing at the mine wall.
• The five missing exploration team members ran toward the trio and warned them that more monsters were pursuing them.
• Lin En sent the five miners north while he, Chongyun, and Ronava prepared to hold off seven or eight larger Rockshell Beasts and an Abyss Herald.

Lin En, Chongyun, and Ronava suspected the exploration team had lured them into the mine, but continued downward to retrieve the ore. They discovered a cache of explosives that detonated in a chain reaction, leaving Chongyun unconscious and Lin En injured.

• Lin En questioned how all seven exploration team members had survived the Abyss monsters, and Ronava pointed out signs that some of them had staged their injuries.
• Lin En, Chongyun, and Ronava returned to the mine’s lowest level to complete their commission and investigate the suspected trap.
• The three found a cavern containing the exploration team’s supplies and crates that Lin En recognized as explosives.
• A fuse ignited as Lin En examined a cylinder, so he pulled Chongyun toward the passage while Ronava raised a barrier.
• The explosives detonated in a chain reaction, throwing Lin En and Chongyun against the passage wall and knocking Chongyun unconscious.
• Lin En checked Chongyun’s breathing and used Hydro to treat the wound on his temple.

Lin En and Ronava fought Pierro and the Fatui soldiers in the cavern, but fled when the Tsaritsa arrived. They continued deeper into the passage, unsure where it led and expecting danger ahead.

• Pierro arrived with Fatui soldiers, and Ronava attacked him while Lin En fought off the soldiers.
• Pierro used a Delusion to strengthen himself, but Lin En and Ronava worked together to wound and pin him to the cavern wall.
• The Tsaritsa arrived, and Lin En and Ronava fled into a passage, leaving the unconscious Chongyun behind.
• After running for a quarter of an hour, Lin En and Ronava stopped in a narrow crevice and agreed to continue deeper into the passage.
• Lin En told Ronava he would stop the Tsaritsa if they encountered her, and the two pressed on as frost spread across the walls.

Lin En and Ronava found a rune-covered well in a crystal mine, then fled when red gas poured from the crystals. After the gas receded, they discovered there was no way forward and decided to return despite the possibility that the Tsaritsa's pursuers were waiting outside.

• Lin En and Ronava found a well surrounded by runes, and Ronava warned that an active seal held something inside it.
• The crystals turned red and released red gas, so Lin En and Ronava ran until the gas stopped at a boundary and receded.
• Ronava found the passage beyond them sealed by solid granite, leaving the pair no choice but to go back.
• Lin En and Ronava returned toward the crystal mine and found trained pursuers' footprints leading back out.
• Lin En and Ronava decided to keep going, even though people might still be guarding the route outside.

Lin En and Ronava encountered the Tsaritsa and the Jester in the passage and fought their way toward escape. They struck the Tsaritsa with a combined attack, forcing both enemies to retreat, while Lin En collapsed from his injuries.

• Lin En and Ronava found the explosion site deserted, then the Tsaritsa and the Jester ambushed them and offered cooperation as an alternative to being eliminated.
• Ronava attacked the Tsaritsa while Lin En engaged the injured Jester, and they tried to flee deeper into the passage.
• The Tsaritsa blocked their path with ice, so Ronava used her Delusion while Lin En held off the Jester and deliberately endured his strikes to build power.
• Lin En and Ronava combined their attacks, breaking through the Tsaritsa's ice defenses and striking her with Ronava's spear.
• The Tsaritsa and the Jester escaped through the passage, and Ronava examined Lin En's injuries and admitted she had held back to keep him alive.

After escaping The Chasm, Lin En and Ronava returned to Liyue Harbor with Chongyun and rested through the night after their battle. The chapter ended with Ronava asleep against Lin En’s shoulder as he gently covered her with his coat.

• Lin En and Ronava emerged from The Chasm, and Ronava said the Tsaritsa would likely need several days to recover before acting again.
• Lin En worried about Chongyun, and they found him riding in an ox cart after two people helped him out of The Chasm.
• The old driver gave Lin En, Ronava, and Chongyun a ride to Liyue Harbor, where Lin En and Ronava found no open inns and sat on a bench for the night.
• Lin En and Ronava discussed the fake commission and his hardships, and Lin En told her that being with her was always sweet.
• Ronava fell asleep against Lin En’s shoulder, and he covered her with his coat and gently tucked her hair behind her ear.