Chapter Summaries

Xingsu visited the recovering Collei, who asked him to leave after he admitted he had joined the Fatui. He later told Lumine, Paimon, and Tighnari that Dottore and Grand Sage Azar were close to completing a plan to create a god, and offered to take them to Sumeru City; before they left, he reunited with Tighnari and served him unusual coffee.

• Collei asked Xingsu whether he had joined the Fatui, and he apologized; she then asked him to leave so she could be alone.
• The next morning, Xingsu told Lumine, Paimon, and Tighnari that Collei was recovering and explained that he had returned to ease her Eleazar symptoms.
• Xingsu revealed that Dottore had made a deal with Grand Sage Azar to create a god and said the plan was nearly complete.
• Xingsu explained that Lesser Lord Kusanali was too gentle to stop the people trying to control her, and offered to take Lumine and Paimon to Sumeru City.
• After Lumine and Paimon left to say goodbye to Collei, Tighnari welcomed Xingsu back, and Xingsu gave him coffee made with blue-staining bolete.

Xingsu introduced Lumine and Paimon to Dunyarzad and invited them to join his support club for Lesser Lord Kusanali. Dunyarzad explained that they were organizing the Sabzeruz Festival themselves, and the group prepared to visit the Grand Bazaar to check on Nilou’s preparations.

• At Lambad’s Tavern, Xingsu recognized Dunyarzad and introduced her to Lumine and Paimon, while Dehya joined them to protect Dunyarzad.
• Xingsu described Dunyarzad as president of the “Become Light to Protect the Cutest Lesser Lord Kusanali Support Club” and made Lumine and Paimon join by declaring their support for Lesser Lord Kusanali.
• Paimon learned that Dehya had joined the club to accompany Dunyarzad and that Nilou was another member organizing the Sabzeruz Festival at the Grand Bazaar.
• Dunyarzad explained that she and Xingsu were funding a Sabzeruz Festival celebration because the Akademiya had ignored the upcoming festival.
• Xingsu invited Lumine and Paimon to accompany the group to the Grand Bazaar to meet Nilou and see how the preparations were going.

Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet prepared to search for clues about Lesser Lord Kusanali at the upcoming Sabzeruz Festival, while Xingsu arranged festival roles for them. Xingsu, Lumine, and Paimon visited Nilou at the renovated Zubayr Theater, where they planned to attend the celebration and look for leads.

• Lyney and Lynette discussed how to blend in as desert students at the Akademiya, while Freminet quietly studied nearby.
• Lyney outlined their plan to search for clues about Lesser Lord Kusanali during the Sabzeruz Festival and assigned their festival disguises: Lynette as a Grand Bazaar volunteer, Freminet as a handicraft seller, and himself as Knight of Flowers Farris.
• Xingsu brought Lumine and Paimon to the Grand Bazaar, where they met Nilou and learned that the Sabzeruz Festival preparations were going smoothly.
• Nilou showed the group the renovated Zubayr Theater and explained that Xingsu and Dunyarzad had funded its repairs and the festival.
• Xingsu went to find Mr. Zubayr to settle the final festival details, while Lumine and Paimon promised Nilou they would attend and look for clues about Lesser Lord Kusanali.

Lumine, Paimon, Xingsu, and Dunyarzad explored the Sabzeruz Festival, sampling its customs, stalls, and games. Xingsu noticed something unusual but said nothing, and the group headed toward a crowd gathered farther up the street.

• Lumine and Paimon met Xingsu and Dunyarzad and set off to enjoy the festival together.
• Dunyarzad explained the Seven Sages' Table custom at a stall selling traditional vegetarian offerings.
• Paimon got her hand caught in a crocodile toy, and Xingsu explained how it worked and bought one for her.
• Xingsu silently asked the boy selling the toy whether he had noticed anything unusual, and the boy indicated that he had not.
• The group tried an alchemical fortune-telling game, where the vendor interpreted their result as a warning about illusion and lies.
• Paimon noticed a large crowd ahead, and the group went to investigate.

Xingsu, Lumine, and Paimon confronted Scott after he tried to bully a shawarma stall owner into refunding him. After Lynette secretly helped turn the tables on him, Scott collapsed with a stomach ailment and was left in humiliating despair.

• Scott demanded a refund from the shawarma stall owner and threatened to block his business when the owner refused.
• Xingsu recognized Scott as someone from the House of the Hearth, and Lumine challenged Scott for making unreasonable demands.
• A festival volunteer disguised as Lynette offered Scott coffee, and he drank it before threatening to have the Sabzeruz Festival shut down.
• Xingsu agreed to discuss compensation, but Scott's stomach began churning before he could finish making his demands.
• Lynette gave Xingsu a playful wink as Scott froze and pleaded with everyone not to touch him.
• Scott lost his strength and lay on the ground, imagining Crucabena and The Doctor as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Xingsu and the others enjoyed the Sabzeruz Festival before Akademiya officials stopped Nilou’s planned dance. Xingsu agreed to suspend the festival, leaving the celebration—and Nilou’s performance—cancelled for now.

• Lyney performed as Knight of Flowers Farris, entertaining the children with magic and handing out candy.
• Paimon and Lumine sampled Lyney’s candy, and Xingsu chose the Sunsettia flavor after asking which jar contained it.
• Xingsu asked Lyney about the information he had gathered, and Lyney said he had found nothing valuable.
• At the Grand Bazaar, Azar confronted Nilou and threatened to prosecute the Sabzeruz Festival organizers for holding an unauthorized ceremony.
• Xingsu challenged Azar, but Nilou and the others signaled him to stop, so he agreed to suspend the festival.
• After Azar left, Xingsu apologized to Dunyarzad, who said she had already been happy that day.

On the Sabzeruz Festival, Xingsu reunited with Lumine, Paimon, and Dunyarzad before leaving to handle festival matters. As Lumine explored the stalls with the others, familiar events and odd details made her suspect that something was wrong.

• Xingsu told Dunyarzad he was glad to have helped her look forward to the festival, then asked Lumine how things had been going before leaving to attend to festival matters.
• Dunyarzad explained the Seven Sages' Table custom to Lumine and Paimon, and Lumine wondered why Philanemo Mushrooms from Mondstadt were part of it.
• Paimon triggered Freminet's toy crocodile mechanism, and Freminet tearfully apologized before Paimon reassured him.
• Paimon tried an alchemical fortune-telling stall, where the vendor used her flatbread to produce supposed results and consulted a book to explain them.
• Lumine continued to feel déjà vu and wondered what was wrong as the group explored the festival.

During the Sabzeruz Festival, Xingsu intervened when Scott harassed Lumine and Paimon, then revealed that they were trapped in a repeating dream. He left them to continue showing Dunyarzad around while he investigated the dream and the Akademiya’s and Dottore’s involvement.

• Scott mocked Paimon and provoked Lumine until Xingsu arrived and used his abilities to make Scott behave like a wolf.
• Xingsu bought shawarmas and a bone, then explained that he had amplified Scott’s twisted memories and could control him in the dream.
• Lumine recognized that the shawarma tasted familiar because they had lived through the day before, and Xingsu confirmed that they were repeating the Sabzeruz Festival in a dream.
• Xingsu explained that he retained his memories across loops and could create projections, but warned that forcibly waking them might damage their brains.
• Xingsu said the Akademiya and Dottore were involved and told Lumine and Paimon to keep showing Dunyarzad around while he tested his ideas.
• Xingsu made Scott fetch a bone and left with him, while Dunyarzad quietly repeated that the Sabzeruz Festival was endless.

Lumine and Paimon searched the Sabzeruz Festival dream for a way out, then tried Lyney’s Yalda Candies and discovered one flavor was so sour it made people faint. After Dunyarzad recovered, Lumine and Paimon wondered how many times they had lived through the festival and chose to trust Xingsu.

• Lumine decided to stay with Dunyarzad and search the festival dream for flaws or a way out.
• Lyney offered Yalda Candies, and Lumine instinctively chose box four for Paimon.
• Paimon tasted the candy, fainted from its extreme sourness, and recovered after Lumine made her spit it out.
• Dunyarzad swallowed a candy and fainted, while Lumine fainted after licking one; Lyney checked that both were breathing and promised to destroy the batch.
• After Dunyarzad recovered, Lumine and Paimon regretted missing Nilou’s Dance of Sabzeruz and decided to trust Xingsu despite fearing they would forget the day.

Xingsu uncovered how the Akasha harvested people’s dreams to power the god-creation project, but he could not free the sleepers without risking permanent harm. As Dunyarzad’s health deteriorated through the loops, Xingsu prepared to confront the Akademiya before Nahida appeared.

• Xingsu discovered that Sumeru’s people’s memories and dreams were being used as computing power and energy for the god-creation project.
• Xingsu escaped the dream and found the Traveler and Dunyarzad asleep, but he returned to the loop rather than risk damaging their minds by removing their Akasha Terminals.
• Xingsu tried exposing the truth and erasing Scott within the dream, but the loops reset and neither effort changed the system.
• Xingsu saw the dream world deteriorating and learned that Dunyarzad suspected she had experienced the festival before, while her eleazar and the repeated memory drain left her increasingly frail.
• After another loop ended, Xingsu decided to go to the Akademiya and considered confronting Dottore, but Nahida appeared before he could stab himself.

Lumine and Paimon met Nahida, whom Lumine immediately doted on, before Xingsu revealed that the Sabzeruz Festival had been trapped in a repeating loop and Dunyarzad was gravely ill. He pointed to Nahida as the key to breaking the loop, but Paimon mistakenly accused her of causing it.

• Lumine overslept until Paimon reminded her that they had promised to meet Dunyarzad and Xingsu.
• Paimon mistook Nahida for a child from the House of the Hearth, while Lumine eagerly fussed over her.
• Nahida said she had come to help, and Xingsu led the group away after Dunyarzad left for the festival.
• Xingsu showed Lumine and Paimon the other Dunyarzad, who lay gravely ill, and shared his memories of the repeated festival days.
• Paimon learned that the group had endured the Sabzeruz Festival loop many times and asked whether they could escape and save Dunyarzad.
• Xingsu identified Nahida as the key to breaking the loop, but Paimon called her the culprit.

Xingsu and Nahida explained the dream and Nahida's role as Lesser Lord Kusanali to Lumine and Paimon, then encouraged Nahida to lead Sumeru in her own way. Lumine and Paimon set out to find the dream's source while Xingsu stayed with Nahida, who was moved when he wished her a happy birthday.

• Paimon and Lumine misunderstood Nahida's situation, and Nahida revealed that she was Sumeru's Lesser Lord Kusanali, Buer.
• Xingsu reassured Nahida that she had earned recognition and urged her to stop measuring herself against Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and save Sumeru during the Sabzeruz Festival.
• Nahida explained the dream to Lumine and Paimon, asking them to find its source while she stabilized Dunyarzad and Xingsu protected Lumine's mind.
• Lumine and Paimon left to search the dream's streets and alleys for clues.
• Xingsu wished Nahida a happy birthday, and Nahida said he was the first person to wish her one in person.

Xingsu read Dunyarzad’s diary and learned how his help had brought her relief from Eleazar and helped her gather legends about Lesser Lord Kusanali. He asked Nahida how to help Dunyarzad, who remained unconscious, and Nahida said she was exhausted and needed rest.

• Xingsu read Dunyarzad’s diary, which recorded her worsening Eleazar, the relief he gave her, and the folklore she collected about Lesser Lord Kusanali.
• Xingsu angrily cursed Dottore and Azar, then asked Nahida whether she could help Dunyarzad.
• Nahida explained that Dunyarzad was unconscious because her weakened body and mind had been strained by repeated cycles.
• Nahida told Xingsu that, by human lifespans, he was only eight or nine years old, prompting him to protest.
• Xingsu stopped Nahida from revealing what he had said when they first met and redirected the conversation to helping Dunyarzad.

Lumine and Paimon searched the Sabzeruz Festival dream for its owner and suspected Lyney after his wish about protecting his family brought Lynette to him, but the siblings vanished before they could confirm anything. Later, Freminet confronted Lumine outside Xingsu’s house, and Xingsu opened the door and invited them in.

• Lumine and Paimon decided to investigate people closely involved with the Sabzeruz Festival, beginning with Lyney, the Knight of Flowers.
• Lyney wished to always protect his family, and Lynette appeared, making Lumine and Paimon suspect he might be the dream’s owner.
• Lyney and Lynette disappeared into the crowd, so Lumine and Paimon returned to find Nahida and Xingsu.
• Xingsu told Lyney to keep watching the other anomalies, while Freminet was left to monitor the Traveler.
• Freminet followed Lumine and Paimon, then blocked them from entering Xingsu’s house and raised his greatsword when Lumine drew her Dull Blade.
• Xingsu opened the door, put a hand on Freminet’s shoulder, and invited both of them inside to talk.

Xingsu explained that the Traveler and Paimon had mistaken Lyney and Lynette’s investigation for something suspicious, then revealed the twins and Freminet’s mission. With Dunyarzad safe and Nahida caring for her, the group prepared to return and search for the real owner of the dream.

• Xingsu explained that Freminet and the others had been watching for suspicious activity during the festival, and Lyney and Lynette revealed themselves to the Traveler and Paimon.
• Lyney explained that he and Lynette were twins with a telepathic connection, and that Lynette had been born with her ears and tail.
• Xingsu told Paimon that Dunyarzad was safe, her consciousness was in standby mode, and Nahida was caring for her.
• Xingsu sent the Traveler and Paimon ahead to rejoin the search for the real owner of the dream.
• Xingsu ordered Lyney to clean up the confetti and foil, then assigned him to do extra training with Freminet.

Xingsu helped Lumine and Paimon identify Nilou as the owner of the Sabzeruz Festival dream, where she overcame her fear of Azar and performed her long-awaited dance. As the dream faded, Xingsu entered a secluded house among the dreams and found Scaramouche.

• Xingsu explained that the dream’s owner was likely a kind person closely connected to the Sabzeruz Festival, then left Lumine and Paimon to find them.
• Lumine and Dehya defeated the Eremites confronting Dehya and Dunyarzad, then brought them to the Grand Bazaar to watch Nilou’s dance.
• Lumine helped Nilou realize she was dreaming and encouraged her to make Azar and his attendants disappear from the festival.
• Nilou performed the Dance of Sabzeruz as the dream’s crowd celebrated, while Lumine and Dunyarzad watched together and Xingsu quietly said farewell.
• After the dream dissolved, Xingsu crossed a realm of dreams and found Scaramouche sitting in a secluded house.

Xingsu confronted Scaramouche in a dream and tried to warn him about Dottore, but Scaramouche rejected the warning and declared his intention to become a god. Xingsu vanished, leaving Scaramouche set on breaking free of his fate.

• Xingsu dodged Scaramouche's attacks until Scaramouche charged with an Electro-charged punch, then Xingsu countered, disarmed him, and pinned him with a dagger.
• A little boy entered the room, and Xingsu realized he was a puppet whom Scaramouche cared about; Scaramouche warned Xingsu to stay away from him.
• After the boy left, Xingsu guessed that the child had been Scaramouche's family in his past and that the dream reflected his story in Inazuma, provoking Scaramouche's anger.
• Xingsu warned Scaramouche not to trust Dottore, but Scaramouche said he had never trusted anyone and was using Dottore to pursue godhood.
• Scaramouche declared he would break free of his creation and predetermined fate, and Xingsu shook his head before dissolving into the air.