Inside the Akademiya's tower...
"Emma, the food here at the Akademiya is amazing!"
Paimon's eyes widened as she stared at the spread before her: Roast Meat Rolls, Coconut Charcoal Cakes, Secret Spice Meatballs, Rose Custard... She was so overwhelmed she couldn't decide where to start.
Adults make choices, but kids want it all!
Lumine dove into the mountain of fragrant food and began to feast.
"This is so delicious... Dr. Edward, Dr. Zachariah, you should eat too!"
"I can't finish all this myself! It'd be such a waste not to eat it!" Paimon called out between mouthfuls, not forgetting the two doctors standing nearby.
"I heard the next meal will have Golden Puffed Fruit, Panipuri, and Curry Shrimp... Just hearing the names makes my mouth water!"
"We haven't eaten properly in days. Who would've thought the best meal we'd get would be in a prison tower!"
"It's a shame the Traveler wasn't captured with us. She's missing out on all this incredible food!"
"I wonder when the Traveler will come to rescue us. I hope she takes her time!"
"Once we're rescued, who knows how long it'll be before we get to eat a feast like this again!"
Dr. Zachariah watched Paimon stuffing her face without a care in the world, feeling utterly speechless. He turned to Dr. Edward and asked, "Dr. Edward, the Akademiya is treating us to such fine food and drink. What are they plotting?"
"Heh," Dr. Edward scoffed. "Their illnesses are still waiting for me to treat them. Of course they wouldn't dare neglect us."
He continued with biting sarcasm, "After committing such an act that angers both heaven and earth, they still expect me to treat them. What a bunch of shameless bastards!"
After cursing the Akademiya's Sages, Dr. Edward looked at Dr. Zachariah apologetically. "I'm sorry. You were dragged into this because of me."
"No, no, Dr. Edward, don't say that! I couldn't stand the Akademiya's methods either," Dr. Zachariah quickly replied, waving his hands dismissively. "Besides, following you was my own decision. I have no regrets!"
Just then, a commotion came from the doorway. The door swung open, and Great Sage Azar entered, flanked by two Matra.
"Hahahaha! Dr. Edward, I've heard so much about you. It certainly wasn't easy to get a meeting with you!" Great Sage Azar boomed with a broad smile as he approached Dr. Edward.
Upon seeing Great Sage Azar, Paimon and Dr. Zachariah instantly tensed up, their expressions turning grave as if facing a formidable enemy.
Paimon froze, momentarily unsure whether to keep eating or stop and observe the situation.
Finally, she found a solution: she stealthily carried her food behind Dr. Zachariah and resumed eating with loud crunches.
Dr. Zachariah: "..."
"The food here is quite good, isn't it?" Azar began, then turned to his subordinates. "How could you be so incompetent? You didn't even leave a proper chair for Dr. Edward! Go fetch one immediately!"
Dr. Edward watched Azar's performance with a mocking smile. "No need, Azar. I'm a prisoner. I'm not worthy of such a fine chair."
Undeterred by Dr. Edward's biting sarcasm, Great Sage Azar continued with feigned warmth. "Dr. Edward, you jest! How could you possibly be a prisoner?"
"You are an honored guest of our Akademiya. You've done so much for Sumeru; we couldn't thank you enough, let alone treat you like a criminal."
"Azar, you truly deserve your position as the Akademiya's Great Sage. Your words are sweeter than any song," Dr. Edward retorted. "But spare me the theatrics. I'll be blunt: I will not agree."
"You'd better abandon those foolish notions. Serving someone like you would only disgust me!"
Upon hearing Dr. Edward's words, Great Sage Azar's expression instantly darkened.
He had indeed considered recruiting the doctor—otherwise, he wouldn't have patiently hosted him with such fine food and drink. But he never expected Dr. Edward to show him such blatant disrespect.
More importantly, the doctor had mentioned a secret Azar absolutely forbade anyone from touching. This made the Great Sage's gaze turn even colder.
"Hmph, you truly are stubborn. Have I not been lenient enough with you?" Azar sneered.
"Despite you openly and covertly opposing our Akademiya, when have we ever resorted to harsh measures?
"It has long been decreed that those medicinal herbs are under the Akademiya's strict control. Yet you ignored the rules and sent those precious materials to the useless trash in the Restricted Zone, showing no remorse even now.
"Despite all this, the Akademiya has still treated you well. We may have brought you here, but we haven't mistreated you or your friends. Don't mistake our kindness for weakness!"
Hearing Great Sage Azar's threats, Dr. Edward burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, so these are your true colors, Azar."
"Enough! Since you're so ungrateful, don't blame me for not giving you a chance, Edward!"
With a vicious wave of his hand, Great Sage Azar summoned several Matra into the room. They quickly seized the three of them.
"Take them away!"
After spitting out the command, Great Sage Azar turned and left. The Matra holding Dr. Edward immediately forced him to follow closely behind.
"Dr. Edward!"
Paimon and Dr. Zachariah panicked as they watched Dr. Edward being led away. They wanted to do something, but the other Matra held them firmly in place.
Hearing their cries, Dr. Edward turned back and offered them a reassuring smile before being taken away.
During the journey, Great Sage Azar had expected Dr. Edward to beg for mercy. However, Edward remained defiant the entire way, which only provoked Azar further. Without any remaining hesitation, he handed Dr. Edward over to Dottore.
"Dottore, this man is yours. Make him more... obedient. You know what to do."
Seeing Great Sage Azar bring Dr. Edward to him, a faint smile touched Dottore's lips.
"So you've finally come around, Azar."
"I told you before—just leave him to me."
Dottore had long had his eyes on Dr. Edward, but Great Sage Azar had always refused to hand him over. Now, it seemed Azar could no longer restrain himself.
"I'm leaving him here. I'll be going now."
Great Sage Azar had no desire to linger in Dottore's presence.
After saying this, he and the Matra departed hastily.
"Now that the irrelevant people are gone," Dottore said, turning to his captive, "shall we begin, Dr. Edward?"
Dottore's gaze burned into Dr. Edward, his predatory intensity making the doctor deeply uncomfortable.
"Dottore, Sumeru is not a place for you Fatui to run wild."
"The Dendro Archon will never forgive what you've done here!"
At Dr. Edward's words, a mocking glint flickered in Dottore's eyes.
"No matter. We just need to replace Sumeru's Archon, don't we?"
With that, Dottore raised his hand and gestured. Fatui soldiers immediately swarmed forward, strapping Dr. Edward to a bed and securing his limbs.
"Dottore, what do you mean by that?!"
"Patience. You'll soon witness history in the making."
"But before that, I need to make a few... adjustments to you."
Finally obtaining the experimental subject he had so desperately craved, Dottore was ecstatic. After administering the anesthetic, he eagerly began the craniotomy on Dr. Edward...
-
Lumine slowly opened her eyes, staring at a familiar ceiling, her mind sluggish.
What's going on? I remember sleeping in the wilderness last night.
And why does this place feel so familiar?
Suddenly, a sense of dread washed over Lumine.
"So sleepy..."
Paimon rubbed her eyes, yawning as she floated in front of Lumine.
"Last night was exhausting!"
"But at least we finally broke free from the Dream Loop."
"Traveler, I did a great job this time, right?"
Seeing Lumine awake, Paimon immediately zipped closer, her big eyes shining with anticipation, clearly fishing for praise.
But when Lumine saw Paimon—the same Paimon she remembered being captured by the Akademiya—standing before her again, her emotions violently surged. The expression on her face twisted into sheer terror.
"T-Traveler, what's wrong? Why do you look so scary?"
Paimon stammered, trembling at Lumine's strange reaction. By now, the terror on Lumine's face had morphed into madness.
Hahahaha, it's fake! It's all fake!
Lumine first let out a crazed laugh, then clutched her head and began to sob uncontrollably. Paimon was completely frozen with fear.
I can't tell... I really can't tell what's real anymore!
Brother...
Lumine shot up in bed. The sudden movement snapped Alhaitham out of his thoughts.
"You're awake?"
"How did you rest? It won't affect the upcoming battle, will it?"
Seeing Alhaitham's face, Lumine's expression first shifted to relief, then quickly twisted into fear.
How can I be sure this is reality?
"Still haven't rested enough?"
Alhaitham frowned at Lumine's state. According to their plan, they were supposed to act today. The longer they waited, the more could go wrong.
But without Lumine's power, their chances of success were slim. No matter what, she needed to be fully rested before they could proceed.
With this in mind, Alhaitham sighed softly and said, "If you're not fully rested, take more time. We'll act tomorrow. Today, we can just scout the location."
Considering Lumine might feel guilty about the delay, he added the last part.
But Alhaitham was overthinking it. Lumine couldn't spare a thought for such things right now.
Her gaze sharpened as she stared at him. The Alhaitham before her seemed perfectly normal, but who knew if she was still dreaming? She had to be sure.
With a shing, Lumine drew her Dull Blade. Seeing her brandishing the sword, eager for a fight, Alhaitham's heart sank.
Sure enough, the next second, the Dull Blade came swinging at him.
Alhaitham's expression changed. He activated his Dendro Elemental Power, propelling himself backward in an instant, retreating to a distance of over forty-one meters from Lumine.
Only then did he finally feel a sliver of security. But in the next moment, he watched in horror as Lumine's Dull Blade was first coated in the Geo Element, extending to three meters. Then, Electro Elemental Power surged along its length, stretching it to exactly forty-one meters before it came whistling toward him.
Alhaitham's composure shattered. Before he could unleash his Scribe's venomous tongue to thoroughly curse Lumine's ancestors for three generations, the Dull Blade slapped him twice across the face.
Lumine carefully felt the feedback from the Dull Blade and nodded seriously.
The feel is very similar to yesterday. So this should be reality, right?
Not entirely sure... Maybe I should try again?
Alhaitham: ...
Just then, Cyno approached from a distance. It seemed he had left the camp earlier to go somewhere else.
He looked at Lumine and Alhaitham, his expression puzzled.
"What are you two doing?" he asked.
"Unlocking some special gameplay?"
Before either could answer, Cyno shook his head and continued, "You two are really bored."
"Actually, after hearing about the Traveler's past, I had a new idea."
Cyno walked right up to Lumine and stared at her with utmost seriousness.
"Traveler, do you know why you're always so busy?"
"Because you have no Aether!"
Crack!
Lumine's body, along with her forty-one-meter Dull Blade, was instantly encased in thick ice.
Even though she hadn't resonated with a Snezhnayan Statue of The Seven, Lumine had somehow grasped Cryo Elemental Power. Therefore, Cyno must be equivalent to the Cryo Archon's Statue of The Seven—or perhaps Cyno was the true Cryo Archon, and "General Mahamatra" was just his hidden identity!
After freeing Lumine from the ice, Cyno couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as he watched her giggle uncontrollably.
Oh no, Cyno thought, was my joke so funny it broke her brain?
Meanwhile, Alhaitham, who had been preparing to curse Lumine and her entire lineage, saw her utterly broken state and tried to calm himself.
She's just a fool. It's not worth getting worked up over.
In reality, Lumine was laughing because Cyno's terrible joke had finally confirmed that everything around her was real.
After all, there was no way she could have ever dreamed up a joke so bad it could inflict third-degree frostbite.
Overwhelmed with the excitement of finally distinguishing dream from reality, Lumine couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from twitching upward.
Seeing no improvement in Lumine's condition and remembering they had plans for the day, Cyno and Alhaitham exchanged a furtive glance.
Look what you've done! Alhaitham's glare conveyed.
Cyno immediately shot back with his own silent retort.
It's because she hasn't heard enough jokes.
Someone like the Traveler needs more exposure to the fine art of humor.
Alhaitham frowned at first, but then his expression smoothed out as he gave Cyno an encouraging look.
Indeed. She needs to be thoroughly schooled.
At that moment, Alhaitham and Cyno had reached an agreement.