Chapter Summaries

A melodramatic promo parody framed a story in which Xingsu died protecting Peruere, was reborn in Sumeru without his memories, and would reunite with her, while the production crew repeatedly rejected the ad scripts. It ended with the crew deciding to use the first version after all.

• A promo script described Xingsu sacrificing himself so Peruere could escape Crucabena, then returning without his memories while Peruere became the Knave and remembered their past.
• The narrator revealed that Xingsu had been reborn as a librarian at Sumeru's House of Daena, with no memories but a strange ache when he looked toward Fontaine.
• The crew interrupted the scripts with repeated cuts, rejecting increasingly melodramatic and nonsensical versions.
• A final New Year greeting turned into an accidental dumpling-making slogan, prompting another cut.
• The boss suggested using the first version after all.

Arlecchino learned that Xingsu was wanted by the Akademiya and suspected he had fled to Fontaine, while Xingsu struggled to find work after arriving there. When he rushed to help Furina during an attack, he unknowingly encountered Arlecchino, who recognized him but fled before they could meet.

• Arlecchino read that Xingsu was wanted by the Akademiya and told Lynette and Lyney to watch for someone with star-shaped eyes.
• Arlecchino concluded that Xingsu was likely heading to Fontaine and wondered how she would face him.
• Xingsu arrived in Fontaine but failed to find work because he lacked credentials and appeared suspicious to employers.
• Lin told Xingsu that the necklace was somewhere in Fontaine and that he could sense it more strongly as he approached.
• Xingsu heard a woman scream and hurried toward Furina, who was being threatened by a masked woman.
• Arlecchino recognized Xingsu when he called out, then slipped away into the darkness without revealing herself.

Xingsu encountered a frightened Furina after she witnessed a woman in black, and she mistook his attempt to comfort her for a chance to apologize for his hardships. When Xingsu returned to the canal, he discovered his bag had been stolen, and Furina offered to help him.

• Xingsu saw a mysterious woman in black whose presence stirred a deep but unexplained ache in him, then found Furina crying on the ground.
• Furina claimed to be the Hydro Archon and tried to frighten Xingsu, but he mistook her behavior for a stress-induced alternate personality and pretended to be Morax.
• Xingsu told Furina that he was an orphaned Sumeru scholar who had been driven out by the Akademiya and could not find work, making her feel guilty.
• Xingsu hurried back to the canal and found that his bag, money, supplies, research manuscripts, and Wisdom Network components were missing.
• Furina followed Xingsu, saw him devastated over the theft, and offered to help, while he assumed she was struggling with mental illness.

After Furina revealed herself as the Hydro Archon, she arranged for Xingsu to stay at the Palais Mermonia for the night. Clorinde decided to take him to Poisson the next morning, while Xingsu dreamed of fragments of his erased past.

• Xingsu realized that Furina was the Hydro Archon, and Furina asked him to keep her earlier panic a secret.
• Furina introduced Xingsu to Clorinde, who questioned him about his past and his arrival in Fontaine.
• Clorinde arranged for Xingsu to meet Callas and Navia in Poisson the next morning, warning that his stay would depend on his behavior.
• Xingsu settled into a guest room and talked with Lin about a woman who felt familiar to him.
• Xingsu fell asleep and dreamed of the Akademiya, the desert, and a blurred figure from his erased past.

Arlecchino learned that Xingsu had arrived in Fontaine and ordered the House of the Hearth to watch him without making contact. The next morning, Clorinde took Xingsu toward Poisson, where his delight at meeting the Melusine Aeval ended with Clorinde pulling him off the Aquabus because it did not stop there.

• Arlecchino heard that Xingsu was staying at the Palais Mermonia and ordered her children to observe him discreetly without approaching or contacting him.
• Lyney and Lynette discussed Arlecchino’s unusual preoccupation with Xingsu.
• Clorinde escorted Xingsu from the Palais Mermonia toward Poisson and explained that Navia and Callas would arrange his work and lodging.
• Xingsu met the Melusine Aeval aboard the Aquabus, restrained himself from petting her, and shook her hand.
• Clorinde pulled Xingsu off the Aquabus before it reached a stop, explaining that they had to jump off because the line did not stop at Poisson.

Clorinde brought Xingsu, a Sumeru traveler pursued by the Akademiya and the Fatui’s “The Doctor,” to Poisson and asked Callas to shelter him. Callas agreed to let Xingsu stay under watch, while Navia began bonding with him over stories of his travels.

• Clorinde led Xingsu through Poisson to the Spina di Rosula headquarters, where Navia and Callas teased her about bringing a man with her.
• Callas sent Navia to talk with Xingsu while he privately asked Clorinde why she had brought the traveler to Poisson.
• Clorinde explained that the Akademiya was hunting Xingsu and the Fatui’s “The Doctor” had taken an interest in him.
• Callas agreed to let Xingsu stay in Poisson and have people watch for outsiders searching for him, with Navia also keeping him company and reporting on him.
• Navia listened eagerly as Xingsu recounted fighting a Consecrated Beast, then invited him to play Tabletop Troupe with her friends.
• Callas saw Navia admiring Xingsu and wondered how his request for her to sound him out had turned into a friendly conversation.

Callas warned Xingsu to keep a low profile in Poisson and rely on the Spina di Rosula if he encountered suspicious strangers. After Xingsu praised Navia at length, Callas grew wary, but Melus was assigned to show Xingsu around, and Navia decided to join them.

• Callas privately told Navia to sound out Xingsu, but she said she had invited him to join her tabletop troupe and trusted his gentle manner.
• Callas privately instructed Xingsu to stay inconspicuous in Poisson and contact the Spina di Rosula about suspicious strangers.
• Xingsu praised Navia so enthusiastically that Callas clenched his fists and grew wary of the outsider.
• Callas asked Melus to show Xingsu around Poisson and help him learn the local rules.
• Navia persuaded Clorinde to smile, and Clorinde prepared to return to the Court of Fontaine.
• Navia decided to accompany Melus and Xingsu on their tour and see Clorinde off, while someone slammed a hand against a table behind them.

Arlecchino learned that Xingsu had settled in Poisson and felt unsettled when she heard he was close to Navia. Meanwhile, Navia invited Xingsu to join the Spina di Rosula and began baking macarons with him.

• Lyney and Lynette reported to Arlecchino that Xingsu had arrived in Poisson with Clorinde and planned to stay, and Arlecchino ordered her informants to monitor him discreetly.
• Lynette told Arlecchino that Xingsu seemed close to Navia, prompting Arlecchino to set down her teacup and dismiss the siblings.
• Lyney realized Lynette had hinted at a secret, then told Freminet to keep quiet about Arlecchino moving the Spina di Rosula collaboration forward and going to Poisson to meet Callas.
• Navia gathered ingredients and cooking equipment to bake macarons with Xingsu, while Melus and Silver introduced themselves.
• Silver invited Xingsu to join the Spina di Rosula, and Navia assured him she had the authority to welcome him before starting to bake.

Xingsu proved himself as a gifted mechanic in Poisson, while Callas received a suspicious offer of aid from the Fatui. Callas accepted the supplies and meeting, and Arlecchino prepared to sail to Poisson to meet him and see Xingsu.

• Xingsu quickly mastered repair work under Yvette's instruction and earned her approval.
• Callas received a Fatui letter offering free supplies for Poisson and proposing a private meeting with Arlecchino.
• Callas accepted the supplies and agreed to meet Arlecchino in Poisson, intending to protect the Spina di Rosula and learn why the Fatui valued Xingsu.
• Arlecchino read Callas's reply, ordered the supplies prepared, and set out for Poisson with Freminet.
• Arlecchino planned to aid Poisson, gauge Callas's limits, and speak with Xingsu about their past.

Callas met with Arlecchino in Poisson, where she asked to see Xingsu, an old acquaintance. Though wary of the Fatui and reluctant to disturb his peace, Xingsu agreed to meet her under the Spina di Rosula’s protection.

• Callas and Arlecchino discussed the Fatui’s supplies and the Spina di Rosula’s affairs before Arlecchino asked about Xingsu.
• Callas explained that Xingsu had joined the Spina di Rosula and warned that he had grievances against the Doctor.
• Arlecchino assured Callas she only wanted to speak with Xingsu and would not pressure him.
• Callas agreed to send for Xingsu, accepting that he and Arlecchino would likely meet eventually.
• Xingsu resisted meeting a Fatui Harbinger but agreed after learning of the aid given to Poisson and recognizing he would have to face Arlecchino sooner or later.

Xingsu met Arlecchino in Fontaine and felt an inexplicable familiarity, while she recognized him as someone from the House of the Hearth whose memories she had erased. Arlecchino chose not to reveal their past and prepared to leave, but Xingsu asked whether they had met before.

• Xingsu entered the sitting room and froze when Arlecchino's face stirred a sense of familiarity, while Arlecchino recognized him from the House of the Hearth.
• Arlecchino greeted Xingsu and invited him to talk about his experiences in Sumeru.
• Xingsu described his research into the Wisdom Network, the Akademiya's pursuit of him, his flight from The Doctor, and the theft of his research in Fontaine.
• Arlecchino asked whether Xingsu was from Sumeru, and he explained that he had been found deep within Irminsul by Lesser Lord Kusanali and did not know his origins.
• Arlecchino decided not to reveal their shared past or disturb Xingsu's peaceful life, then ended their discussion and headed for the door.
• Xingsu called after Arlecchino and asked whether they had met before.

Arlecchino left Xingsu with an ambiguous hint that they might have met before, stirring up his unexplained grief and sense of loss. After Navia found him dazed, he reassured her and joined her to count the Fatui’s supplies, while someone monitoring them grew surprised by who Xingsu was with.

• Xingsu asked Arlecchino if they had met before, and she replied, “Perhaps,” before leaving the room in tears.
• Xingsu remained troubled by his connection to Arlecchino until Navia entered and shook him out of his daze.
• Navia worried that Arlecchino had threatened Xingsu, and he reassured her before suggesting they inspect the Fatui’s donated supplies.
• Navia and Xingsu went to count the supplies, while an observer learned that Arlecchino had left Poisson and reacted with surprise that Xingsu was with Navia.

Xingsu decided to recover his memories after recognizing Arlecchino as the woman who had ambushed Furina, and he left Poisson for the Court of Fontaine to search for Lin’s necklace. His journey began with an unexpected problem: the Aquabus did not go to Poisson.

• Xingsu told Lin he wanted his memories back after recognizing Arlecchino as the woman who had ambushed Furina.
• Lin said the necklace was not near Poisson and that Xingsu would need to return to the Court of Fontaine to search for it.
• Xingsu told Callas and Navia he was leaving Poisson for personal business, and Navia asked him to return for her eighteenth birthday.
• Xingsu hurried out of Poisson and set off toward the Court of Fontaine to recover his memories.
• Xingsu wondered why the Aquabus did not go to Poisson.

Xingsu returned to the Court of Fontaine, where a street vendor’s suspicious L㏒s led him to suspect it was methamphetamine. He reported the seller to the Maison Gardiennage and left after giving a Melusine a bewildering statement.

• Xingsu caught a ride back to the Court of Fontaine and spent the afternoon sampling its food and drinks.
• A vendor offered Xingsu L㏒s, and Xingsu watched a trembling, hollow-eyed man buy and gulp down three bottles.
• Xingsu recognized the signs of drug addiction and suspected that L㏒s was methamphetamine.
• Xingsu pretended to be interested, took a bottle from the vendor, and hurried back toward the busy district.
• Xingsu reported the vendor to the Maison Gardiennage and overwhelmed the Melusine taking his statement with a long, bizarre story.

Xingsu left the Court of Fontaine to search for a necklace and camped near a flower field, where he met Earnshaw, a worried father whose daughter had gone to the city. Earnshaw named his daughter Agnès before returning to his house, leaving Xingsu with the chance to help her if they met.

• Xingsu followed Lin's unreliable directions while searching the wilderness for the necklace, then used markers and a systematic route to guide the search.
• Xingsu chose to camp near a flower field and met Earnshaw, who was drinking alone and worrying about his absent daughter.
• Xingsu filled Earnshaw's empty glass with Fonta and listened as Earnshaw complained about his daughter and life on the property.
• Xingsu tried to reassure Earnshaw that his daughter could manage in the Court of Fontaine, but Earnshaw dismissed his advice.
• Xingsu asked for the daughter's name so he could help if they crossed paths, and Earnshaw told him she was Agnès.

Xingsu searched for the necklace and, guided by Lin, found it buried beneath a flower at two carefully tended, nameless graves. He hesitated to disturb the graves and read a note left with the flowers.

• Earnshaw invited Xingsu to eat and asked him to bring back his three runaway puppies.
• Xingsu returned the puppies, shared Earnshaw’s Tasses ragout, and then continued searching for the necklace.
• At night, Lin guided Xingsu through familiar-feeling ruins to two nameless graves.
• Lin identified the necklace’s location beneath a flower, but Xingsu hesitated to dig up the grave.
• Xingsu picked up a rose and read a note wishing its recipient warmth, kindness, and freedom from the past.

Xingsu recovered the memories sealed in the necklace, recalling his life at the House of the Hearth and his death fighting Crucabena. He awakened a Cryo Vision and wondered how his past would shape his life in Poisson.

• Xingsu dug through the grave with his bare hands and found the necklace Lin had led him to seek.
• Unsure whether he was ready to regain his memories, Xingsu worried that his past ties to the Fatui could endanger his friends in Poisson.
• Lin urged Xingsu to face his past, and he chanted an incantation while holding the necklace.
• The necklace restored Xingsu's memories of surviving Crucabena's House of the Hearth, meeting Clervie and Peruere, and dying in the final battle.
• Xingsu recognized that his past death had taken place beneath the ruins and saw a Cryo Vision appear in his hand.
• Xingsu asked whether he would have to repeat Lin's embarrassing incantation to use the power of memories, and Lin said he had chosen it for the atmosphere.

After recovering his memories among the House of the Hearth ruins, Xingsu accepted the dawn as the start of his new life and chose it as his birthday before falling asleep. Arlecchino woke from a painful dream about his death and locked away his last letter, while Lin watched his memories and gave him new power to control them.

• At dawn, Xingsu held his Cryo Vision, accepted his recovered memories, and decided that the day they returned would be his birthday.
• Xingsu lay down among the ruins and fell asleep, exhausted by the flood of memories.
• Arlecchino woke from a dream in which Crucabena killed Xingsu and struggled with her feelings for him and the distance between them.
• Arlecchino reread Xingsu's last letter, then locked it away in a hidden drawer.
• Lin watched Xingsu's memories of Peruere and Clervie and wished for him to create a happy ending.
• Lin's starlight gave Xingsu new power to control and organize his memories as he slept, and she wished him a happy birthday.

Xingsu watched Lyney and Lynette perform in Fontaine, then exposed their suspicion and poor attempts to conceal their readiness to escape. He asked them to deliver a letter to Arlecchino, leaving them surprised but still cautious.

• Lyney and Lynette performed magic in the Court of Fontaine, and Lyney noticed Xingsu watching from the crowd.
• After the show, Lyney gave Xingsu a magic pouch and tried to learn about him.
• Xingsu pointed out that Lyney and Lynette had been watching him and reached for concealed weapons, then restrained their wrists.
• Xingsu released them and gave Lyney a folded letter to deliver to Arlecchino.
• Lyney and Lynette exchanged surprised glances as they realized Xingsu wanted their help rather than a confrontation.

Lyney and Lynette delivered Xingsu’s reply to Arlecchino, whose reaction showed that his words touched on their shared past. After ordering the twins to fetch him, Arlecchino left them with more extra training.

• Lyney and Lynette told Arlecchino that Xingsu had recognized them and handed over his letter.
• Arlecchino read Xingsu’s reply to her message at the unmarked tombstone, then sent the twins to do extra drills.
• During training, Lynette and Lyney speculated about Xingsu’s relationship with Arlecchino and suspected the intelligence on him was incomplete.
• Arlecchino surprised the twins at the training ground and ordered them to bring Xingsu to see her.
• As Lyney and Lynette hurried off, Arlecchino told them their reactions to surprises were unsatisfactory and assigned more extra training.