Chapter Summaries

Xingsu and Lumine discussed the Ninth Company’s losses before Xingsu used a foul-smelling smoke bomb to knock out Yelan and Paimon. After Paimon woke, Xingsu tied up and blindfolded Yelan, then told Lumine to carry her as they continued into the mine.

• Xingsu told Lumine that only five children from the Ninth Company had survived and that Nikolay’s attack had happened long ago.
• Xingsu set off a smoke bomb to prevent anyone from overhearing their conversation, revealing Yelan as their pursuer.
• Lumine’s Anemo Element gust drove the smoke back toward Yelan, and both Yelan and Paimon passed out from the stench.
• Paimon woke and remembered that Yelan had followed them, while Xingsu claimed she had merely fallen asleep from exhaustion.
• Xingsu tied up, blindfolded, and gagged Yelan, then told Lumine to carry her as they continued deeper into the mine.

Xingsu questioned the captured Yelan, but her provocative response and quick escape from her bonds turned the interrogation into a negotiation. Yelan offered to help him find the missing child and secure the Ninth Company’s departure from The Chasm in exchange for the Fatui withdrawing from Liyue, and the group set off together.

• Xingsu claimed he had learned his binding technique from a wilderness survival book, while Lumine doubted him and Paimon remained confused.
• Yelan awoke blindfolded and bound, and Xingsu removed the gag after she agreed to answer his questions.
• Yelan teased Xingsu about her restraints, then cut through the ropes with Hydro threads and freed herself.
• Yelan proposed helping Xingsu find the child and take the Ninth Company’s survivors out of The Chasm if the Fatui withdrew from Liyue.
• Xingsu accepted the deal and hurried ahead to find the child, while Lumine and Paimon followed.

Xingsu rescued the gravely wounded Nikolay after reading how he had sacrificed himself to protect his comrades, and brought him back to Katarina. With Nikolay near death from infection, Xingsu cleaned his wound with fire-water while Katarina held him down, beginning an agonizing attempt to save his life.

• Xingsu found Nikolay unconscious and feverish after the Shadowy Husk was defeated, and carried him through the mine despite Yelan warning that his chances of surviving were slim.
• Xingsu insisted that the House of the Hearth would not abandon one of its children, and Lumine and Yelan followed him toward the group’s destination.
• Katarina recognized her barely breathing brother and gave Xingsu a bottle of fire-water when he asked for it.
• Xingsu removed Nikolay’s soaked bandages, exposed his festering leg wound, and asked Katarina and another person to hold him still.
• Xingsu poured fire-water over Nikolay’s wound as Katarina restrained his convulsing body, then cleaned and bandaged the injury.

Xingsu left the mine after entrusting the feverish Nikolay to Katarina and the Ninth Company, then searched for a way to find food and medical help. He encountered Tighnari and Collei while clearing a Withering Zone, and they recognized him.

• Xingsu gave Katarina Nikolay's notes and harmonica, asked her to care for him, and told Anton to watch over her if Nikolay did not survive.
• Katarina played a song from Snezhnaya, and the Ninth Company joined her in singing beside the unconscious Nikolay.
• Xingsu thanked Yelan and Lumine, criticized Yelan's trackers, and returned to the surface alone to consider how to get food and medical treatment.
• Collei spotted movement in a Withering Zone, and she and Tighnari hurried there to investigate.
• After Xingsu killed the last monster in the Withering Zone, Collei and Tighnari recognized him.

Xingsu brought Tighnari to the Chasm to treat the gravely injured Nikolay and explained that he served Arlecchino to protect orphaned children, not because he supported the Fatui’s abuses. Tighnari remained wary, while Collei returned to the forest and resolved to trust Xingsu and wait for him to cure Eleazar, though she missed him.

• Xingsu asked Collei to return to the Forest Rangers, then hurried with Tighnari to the Chasm to save Nikolay.
• Tighnari treated Nikolay’s wounds at the camp and found himself surrounded by Fatui soldiers, Lumine, and Yelan.
• Xingsu told Tighnari that he had joined the Fatui willingly and served Arlecchino, but opposed Dottore and protected homeless children in their care.
• Tighnari questioned whether Xingsu had been brainwashed and recalled the Fatui’s harm to Collei, while Xingsu promised they would never be enemies.
• Xingsu asked Tighnari to tell Collei that he would cure Eleazar completely before they met again, and Collei said she believed him and would wait despite missing him.

Xingsu arranged to reunite with Arlecchino in three days and told her he wanted to visit Sumeru. After treating Lumine and Paimon to dinner at Wanmin Restaurant, he found himself sharing a table with Zhongli, who ended the meal by asking whether they had any Mora.

• Xingsu told Arlecchino he wanted to go to Sumeru to thank Nahida and the people who had helped him, and she agreed to meet him in international waters in three days.
• Clervie teased Arlecchino about missing Xingsu, while Lumine and Paimon teased Xingsu about his affectionate call before asking for their promised Mora.
• Xingsu offered to treat Lumine and Paimon to dinner, but they arrived at Wanmin Restaurant to find Zhongli hosting them instead.
• Xingsu felt nervous sitting beside Zhongli and worried the former Geo Archon might blame him for the Fatui's actions.
• After dinner, Zhongli asked Lumine and Paimon whether they had brought any Mora.

Zhongli brought Xingsu to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and revealed that he knew Xingsu carried memories of Teyvat. He asked Xingsu to preserve the lives and events history might forget, and Xingsu accepted a contract to do so.

• Xingsu paid the meal bill, then tried to leave before Zhongli pressured him into coming to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
• Hu Tao met Zhongli and Xingsu at the entrance, pitched funeral services to Xingsu, and hurried off to find Qiqi.
• Zhongli asked Xingsu how history could be preserved, then revealed that he knew Xingsu possessed memories of Teyvat.
• Zhongli asked Xingsu to remember the lives and experiences that would not appear in official histories, offering him an ancient stone token as part of a contract.
• Xingsu accepted the token and contract, then wondered whether Zhongli had used the meeting to avoid paying for the meal.

Xingsu toured Liyue Harbor with Hu Tao, bought souvenirs for the children at the House of the Hearth, and later ran into Tartaglia while both were burdened with shopping. Their conversation ended with Xingsu warning Tartaglia that Zhongli could defeat him repeatedly, even at full power.

• Xingsu met Hu Tao outside the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and heard about her repeated attempts to bury Qiqi, which Baizhu kept thwarting.
• Hu Tao showed Xingsu around Liyue Harbor, where he chose perfume paste for his beloved and bought toys and souvenirs for the children.
• At the House of the Hearth, Freminet took second place in a Luban lock contest after Lynette disassembled the lock with ease, and Xingsu used the event to prepare Freminet's birthday gift.
• After Hu Tao's shopping tour left Xingsu overloaded with bags, Teucer and Tartaglia arrived carrying a similar haul of their own.
• Tartaglia asked whether Zhongli could give him a good fight, and Xingsu said Zhongli could kill him nine times per minute—or twenty-seven times if Tartaglia used his Delusion and Foul Legacy.

Xingsu joined the Moonchase Festival festivities and attended the Liyue Master Chef Competition, where Xiangling won by one vote. Her ancient cornbread buns awakened the Stove God’s statue and revealed Guoba’s past as Marchosius, and the group ended the night sharing a meal beneath the full moon.

• Xingsu and Tartaglia competed to carry gifts, and Xingsu won before Ningguang received a report about their antics.
• Xingsu went to Yujing Terrace, judged the final cooking round, and voted for Xiangling, who won the competition by one vote.
• Xiangling prepared spicy meat cornbread buns from Keqing’s grandfather’s manuscript, causing the ancient statue to open and reveal Guoba.
• Madame Ping explained that Guoba was Marchosius, the Stove God who had sacrificed his power to protect Liyue and lost his memories.
• Xiangling invited Madame Ping and the others to Wanmin Restaurant, where Zhongli greeted Guoba as an old friend.
• Zhongli asked Xingsu what Moonchase meant, and Xingsu described it as enduring longing for old friends and loved ones.

Dottore rebuked Scott while discussing Sumeru’s scholars and the Akasha with Azar, then left Scott to keep watch. In Liyue, Xingsu met Rosalyne with a coffin full of souvenirs, and they sailed together with the Ninth Company toward Snezhnaya, where Rosalyne began asking about his relationship with Arlecchino and herself.

• Dottore and Azar argued over Sumeru’s reliance on his methods and the Akasha, while Scott flattered Dottore and was warned to do his job carefully.
• Dottore left Scott behind to keep watch over the nearly completed creation.
• Tartaglia and Rosalyne argued at Northland Bank until Xingsu arrived dragging a coffin full of Liyue goods, then clarified that the child from The Chasm had survived.
• Rosalyne ordered her subordinates to take Xingsu’s belongings aboard her ship, and Xingsu invited Nikolay and Katarina to return with him to the House of the Hearth.
• Rosalyne and Xingsu discussed Arlecchino’s past, their six-year relationship, and Rosalyne’s help in bringing Arlecchino to Snezhnaya.
• Rosalyne asked Xingsu what he thought of her.

Rosalyne spoke with Xingsu about his relationship with Arlecchino and invited him to visit Snezhnaya before reuniting with Arlecchino at sea. Arlecchino discussed Odette and her strained relationship with Rosalyne, while Xingsu joined them and agreed to attend Sandrone's tea party after the Electro Archon's Gnosis was secured.

• Rosalyne told Xingsu that the Tsaritsa wanted to meet him and asked when he and Arlecchino planned to marry.
• Xingsu explained that Arlecchino intended to marry him after finishing something, and Rosalyne urged him to trust and care for her.
• Rosalyne and Arlecchino exchanged gifts and discussed Odette's training, her friendship with Vodyanitsa, and Rosalyne's troubled relationship with her.
• Xingsu embraced Arlecchino from behind, and Rosalyne left them to their reunion.
• Arlecchino confirmed that Xingsu had received Sandrone's letter, and Xingsu proposed attending Sandrone's tea party together after they obtained the Electro Archon's Gnosis.

After Rosalyne’s death, the Harbingers gathered at Sandrone’s tea party and learned that Xingsu had confronted their leaders at the Tsaritsa’s meeting. Xingsu returned to find Sandrone and Columbina wrestling, then mistook their scuffle for a private moment and shut the door.

• Sandrone asked Arlecchino what Rosalyne had said before leaving, and Arlecchino recalled that Rosalyne planned to return for tea after collecting the Electro Gnosis.
• Arlecchino explained that Xingsu had been kept behind by the Tsaritsa, who had asked him to rein in restless people at the next morning’s meeting.
• Xingsu publicly accused Dottore, Pulcinella, and Pantalone of abusing their authority, while the Harbingers stayed silent and wondered whether the Tsaritsa had approved his actions.
• Sandrone and Columbina discussed Xingsu’s entertaining reprimand, then Sandrone shoved Columbina down and wrestled with her after Columbina fiddled with her puppet’s winding key.
• Xingsu entered, saw Sandrone straddling Columbina, and quickly shut the door, prompting Sandrone to yell after him.

Xingsu showed Sandrone, Arlecchino, and Columbina a memory stored in a Transcription Prism, then revealed that he had caught the Crimson Lotus Moth Sandrone had spared. He said he could not revive Rosalyne but had an idea that required a trip to Sumeru, where he needed to go anyway.

• Xingsu reshaped the Transcription Prism into a sheet and let Arlecchino and Columbina sense the memory sealed inside.
• Sandrone touched the prism and saw a memory of herself straddling Columbina and shaking her, then screamed as Xingsu slipped out of the room.
• Arlecchino fed Sandrone hard Five-nut Wangxiao cakes while Xingsu returned and shared a flower with Arlecchino.
• Xingsu showed Sandrone the Crimson Lotus Moth he had caught, and Sandrone denied that it reminded her of Rosalyne.
• Arlecchino said Sandrone missed Rosalyne, and Xingsu explained that he could not bring her back to life but had an idea that meant he would go to Sumeru.

Xingsu and Arlecchino secretly made and enjoyed soup dumplings together during late nights at the House of the Hearth. Their playful experiments nearly got them caught by Clervie, and one particularly excessive night left Xingsu asleep until the following afternoon.

• Xingsu kneaded the dough while Arlecchino steamed the soup dumplings, following their familiar division of labor.
• Xingsu and Arlecchino slowly tasted the dumplings and sometimes tried playful ways of feeding each other.
• Xingsu and Arlecchino once slipped into the House of the Hearth's kitchen, where Clervie nearly discovered them making a midnight snack.
• Lyney received extra training the next day because he had suggested preparing a late-night snack for the children.
• Xingsu added his secret sauce to the remaining dumplings, and after one especially excessive experiment, he slept until the following afternoon.
• Xingsu and Arlecchino thereafter restrained their experiments and rarely added so much sauce.

After Rosalyne’s death, the narrator traveled with Pepe to Snezhnaya, where she learned more about the Fatui and the Tsaritsa and resolved to keep Pepe from meeting the same fate. The Tsaritsa hired her to safeguard memories and research the Transcription Prism, and the chapter ended with her questioning whether her diary could be trusted.

• Rosalyne’s death left the narrator reflecting on mortality, and Peruere poured her grief out on the narrator for three days.
• A Ragdoll cat invited the narrator to a tea party in Snezhnaya, where she became curious about the Tsaritsa’s cause and power and vowed to protect Pepe.
• The narrator endured Snezhnaya’s bitter cold and observed its people’s unusual toughness and drinking habits.
• At the Krolvetzki Theater, the narrator watched Odette perform and shared a tender moment with Pepe during The Mountain and the Sparrow.
• The Tsaritsa hired the narrator to safeguard her memories and research the Transcription Prism, which the narrator shaped into a device for storing memories.
• The narrator used the Transcription Prism to preserve a memory and then wondered whether Teyvat could also have tampered with her diary.

Xingsu recounted how a young man’s wine left him unconscious and caused him to spend the night with Arlecchino, then acted out his drunken rambling for the others. He ended by insisting they needed to fight Dottore and handing Arlecchino his secret stash as military funding.

• Xingsu told the tea-party guests that a young man in the Ash District had tricked him into drinking wine that knocked him out.
• Xingsu explained that he had woken beside Arlecchino after unknowingly spending the night making soup dumplings with her, and had discovered that he had given away his hidden money and packed luggage.
• At Columbina’s request, Xingsu reenacted his drunken behavior, calling Arlecchino his wife and crying over her.
• Xingsu accused Dottore of conducting a god-making experiment and proposed a plan to attack him in Sumeru with Arlecchino and the forest rangers.
• Xingsu mourned Collei’s Eleazar and begged Arlecchino to help his little brother, then opened a hidden box of Mora and offered it as military funding.

Xingsu and Arlecchino visited Odette to explain Rosalyne’s final gift and discuss Odette’s complicated feelings toward her. Xingsu left Odette to decide whether to use the Fire of Two Worlds to erase her memories of the Fatui, and urged her to make her choice at Rosalyne’s grave.

• Sandrone, Xingsu, Arlecchino, and Columbina discussed the previous night before Xingsu and Arlecchino went to see Odette.
• Vodyanitsa tried to feed Odette pastries, and Xingsu first walked in on them in an awkward embrace before returning with Arlecchino.
• Arlecchino explained that Rosalyne had left Odette the Fire of Two Worlds, which could burn away her memories of the Fatui and let her dance freely.
• Xingsu asked Odette about her family, her hardships, and her resentment toward Rosalyne, then described Rosalyne as clumsy in expressing her affection.
• Xingsu told Odette that the choice was hers and that she should make it at Rosalyne’s grave; afterward, he left with Arlecchino.

Tighnari returned to Sumeru City after receiving an unusual number of letters from his teacher, Nafis, and grew concerned that something was wrong at the Akademiya. Cyno agreed to investigate the sages, while Alhaitham later revealed that Azar’s unusual silence in meetings worried him too.

• Cyno defeated Kaveh in Genius Invokation TCG, and Tighnari arrived at Puspa Café after enduring Cyno’s puns.
• Tighnari explained that Nafis had asked him to help with newly admitted desert students, who received extra academic credits and free lodging.
• Tighnari told Cyno and Kaveh that Nafis had sent him an unusual number of letters and that Sumeru City felt strange; Cyno agreed to investigate the sages.
• Tighnari suggested Kaveh ask Alhaitham about events at the Akademiya, but Alhaitham said he could not share meeting details and described Azar’s long speeches.
• Alhaitham told Kaveh that Azar had recently become unusually quiet in meetings, which he considered a serious problem.

After waking in Gandharva Ville, Lumine learned that Spirit Borneol incense had made her collapse, though she believed her vision of a great tree was real. While recovering, she spoke with Collei about Xingsu, and Paimon’s mention of his joining the Fatui triggered Collei’s illness, leaving Lumine rushing her back to the village.

• Collei and Tighnari explained that Lumine had fainted after reacting badly to Spirit Borneol incense, and Tighnari advised her to recover under observation.
• Lumine told Paimon that her vision of an enormous tree and the words “The world... forget me...” had not been a hallucination, and decided to investigate while staying for treatment.
• Collei told Lumine and Paimon about her friendship with Amber and how Xingsu had helped treat her Eleazar and research her illness.
• Collei revealed that the Akademiya had expelled Xingsu for violating its regulations, and Paimon accidentally disclosed that he had joined the Fatui.
• Collei’s illness flared up, and Lumine caught her and hurried her back to Gandharva Ville.

Tighnari explained how Xingsu had once cared for Collei and developed a theory that suppressed her Eleazar, before the Akademiya expelled him and he joined the Fatui. Collei dreamed that Xingsu had become a cold, masked experimenter, then woke to find him beside her.

• Tighnari told Lumine and Paimon that Collei’s Eleazar had flared up after Paimon revealed Xingsu had joined the Fatui.
• Tighnari explained that Collei’s mother had entrusted her to the Fatui, where The Doctor suppressed her illness through painful treatment.
• Tighnari said Xingsu had developed the Eleazar Memory Theory, cared for Collei, and was later expelled from the Akademiya for researching the Wisdom Network.
• Xingsu comforted the sleeping Collei and told her to rely on Tighnari and the forest rangers after he left.
• Collei dreamed that Xingsu was wearing a mask and preparing to experiment on her, then woke from the nightmare to his gentle voice beside her.