—Mondstadt, 500 years after the Khaenri’ah Cataclysm, during the Windblume Festival—
Dawn Winery’s grand manor was bathed in the warm afternoon sun.
The grapevines had not yet sprouted, but a lazy spring air already drifted through the breeze.
“Diluc—! We finished your commission!”
The voice arrived before the person did.
A tiny white-haired guide rushed through the front door like a cannonball, followed by the blonde, short-haired Traveler.
The master of Dawn Winery was already waiting in the main hall.
Dressed in dark casual attire, his sharp eyes softened slightly upon seeing his guests.
“Honorary Knight. Paimon.” Diluc nodded slightly, raising a hand in polite welcome.
“Please, sit.”
Drinks and pastries were already set out on the coffee table.
Paimon’s eyes lit up instantly.
Ever since the Stormterror incident, Lumine and Paimon’s renown in Mondstadt had skyrocketed, transforming them from “outsiders” into the “Honorary Knight” and “her best companion.”
Later, they went on to accomplish earth-shattering feats in Liyue and Inazuma.
Returning to Mondstadt to celebrate the Windblume Festival this time, the two restless adventurers took on commissions in addition to enjoying the lively festivities.
Among them was Diluc’s commission to “repair the Light Cone,” which had been posted for years.
Paimon cradled an exquisite box in both hands and placed it solemnly in front of Diluc.
“Here! Handed back to you safe and sound!”
Diluc opened the box.
A palm-sized wafer lay quietly on the velvet lining.
The large areas of dull gray and blurred, blocky artifacts that originally covered the wafer’s surface were now restored to a clear, dynamic image.
Though the colors were still somewhat faint, the fluidity and completeness of the picture had not been seen in years.
“…Thank you.” Diluc’s voice was lower and softer than usual.
“I posted this commission at the Adventurers’ Guild nearly six years ago. I had given up hope.”
He closed the box and looked up at his two guests.
“Besides the reward, please make sure to attend the Ragnvindr family dinner tonight.”
“Hee-hee, you’re welcome, you’re welcome~!” Paimon dangled her legs in midair, her face practically writing out the words *Yay, another feast!*
Suddenly remembering something, she added, “Oh, right! Lisa and Albedo were a huge help in fixing the Light Cone too!”
“I see.” Diluc nodded.
“I will prepare thank-you gifts shortly and pay a visit to Lady Lisa and Mister Albedo.”
His gaze fell back onto the box, falling silent for a moment.
A Light Cone.
An unrepeatable, uncopyable divine creation on the Teyvat continent.
Created five hundred years ago by Monomakh—the fallen First Cryo Archon, Tsar of White Sands to the seelie, and the divine being known as the “God of Literature and Art.”
It could completely seal the memories of a specific moment—images, sounds, emotions, tactile sensations, and even scents—allowing future generations to experience them again and again.
The memories within a Light Cone could be extracted and consumed.
Once extracted, the holder could re-experience and feel the scene of that time.
The number of uses depended on the Light Cone’s quality.
When a Light Cone turned gray without an image, it meant the memories inside had been completely exhausted.
Light Cones presented different star ratings based on the recorder’s memories, representing five different tiers.
Although Kameras capable of taking pictures had appeared in Fontaine, compared to Light Cones—which allowed a comprehensive experience of the recorder’s emotions—they were merely cheap, inferior substitutes.
Even a blank Light Cone was a priceless antique.
If it was an ancient Light Cone containing recorded memories, especially those documenting major historical figures or events, it could fetch astronomical prices at Akademiya auctions.
And Lumine happened to have a dozen or so of them in her possession.
Some had been looted from ruin treasure chests while completing commissions, while others were farewell gifts from certain adepti.
As for the ones gifted by three gods, the back of every single card was five stars.
The one Venti gave her was the freedom of a thousand winds sweeping across the prairie, depicting a wind spirit and the Dragon of the East soaring together on the breeze.
“The Light Cone was created by a dear friend of mine. Like you, he came from beyond the stars, a romantic and generous god. Though he vanished in the disaster five hundred years ago, I still miss the times we made music together.” The usually easygoing Anemo Archon had worn a rare expression of melancholy.
The one Zhongli gave her recorded the sight of the Lord of Geo gazing out over the myriad lights of Liyue Harbor when it was first built.
“As the Fourth Descender, he was unbound by fate, just like you. Yet he chose to stay because of the people and events of this land. The Light Cone was his final gift to this world, changing the fates of many. It can record memories unrecognized by—or even erased from—the world. You may find a use for it one day as well.” The heavily eroded Geo Archon had let out a long sigh.
Raiden Ei’s Light Cone showed the backs of her sister and old friends watching fireworks with her.
“My interactions with him were not as deep as my sister’s, but he was a miraculous fairy. During the banquets where the Seven gathered, I attended behind my sister in my role as her kagemusha and met him a few times. The Light Cone he gifted my sister allowed her to leave a sliver of consciousness behind during that brutal war.” The Electro Archon had spoken with a look of relief.
As for the low-star Light Cones Lumine had no use for, Ningguang had bought a considerable number of them from her at market price, leaving the two adventurers rolling in Mora.
And the one before them now was Lumine’s first attempt at “repairing” a Light Cone.
To fix it, she had consulted the most educated librarian in Mondstadt.
“Mm~ While I’m delighted that my little cuties trust Lisa-jie,” Lisa had leaned against a Sumeru-style bookshelf, lazily curling a strand of purple hair around her finger, “I’m afraid I’m an elemental scholar from Spantamad. I’m hardly an expert on Light Cones. Recovering the scattered memories of a Light Cone is a massive topic that even the Six Darshans haven’t fully untangled.”
She glanced at the Light Cone Lumine had brought, a flash of interest in her eyes.
“However, if you’d like to decipher the inscriptions on the Light Cone, I can help transcribe them and consult my teachers and colleagues at the Akademiya. A five-star Light Cone would drive the scholars researching historical records at the Akademiya absolutely wild.”
Her eyes rested on the tiny script on the card back of the Light Cone.
“This script was personally devised by the Seelie Tsar himself. It’s said to automatically generate a brief summary based on the recorded memories—likely an authority of that God of Literature.”
“No need to decipher it,” Lumine said.
“I can read it.”
Lisa paused.
“…Oh?” She slowly raised her head, her green eyes studying Lumine earnestly.
“My little cutie can read the inscriptions on the Light Cone?”
Lumine nodded.
She could read this so-called “script devised by the Tsar”—wasn’t it just the interstellar common script?
That predecessor from beyond the stars really was…
Lisa chuckled softly.
“My, my, that’s incredible. If you were willing to register your name at the Akademiya, those old gentlemen in Haravatat would probably send you an honorary professorship offer overnight—Light Cone script hasn’t been fully cracked to this day.”
Lumine politely declined.
—No joke, she didn’t want to be dragged off by Sumeru’s academic bureaucrats to serve as a dictionary.
Although she hadn’t visited that nation yet, she gathered from Lisa’s scattered words that the Akademiya was up to something big and untoward lately.
After taking leave of Lisa, the two followed her suggestion and headed to the snowy mountain region west of Mondstadt City to visit the young alchemist.
Albedo’s workshop was, as always, clean, quiet, and filled with a sense of order somewhere between science and the mystical.
The blonde youth was bent over his desk, sketching an intimidatingly complex alchemy array.
Upon hearing footsteps, he looked up.
“Traveler, Paimon.” He set down his quill, his calm demeanor breaking into a mild smile.
“Welcome.”
Paimon immediately babbled out the whole story.
After listening, Albedo nodded.
“In theory, repairing a Light Cone is feasible.”
He paused.
“Regarding the craftsmanship behind Light Cones, I happen to know a few more details.”
Lumine looked at him.
Albedo’s tone was as though he were stating the most mundane fact.
“Within the Hexenzirkel, there is a member who knows the complete method for crafting a Light Cone.”
“The Hexenzirkel?” Paimon blinked.
“Oh, oh! You mean the one Klee’s mom mentioned back on the islands, right?”
“Yes. Lady Alice is the witch codenamed ‘A’. Members of the Hexenzirkel take single letters as their codenames.”
Albedo continued calmly, “However, there was a special witch among them whose codename was ‘MH’.”
He looked at Lumine.
“It is generally believed in this world that crafting Light Cones is a divine miracle exclusive to the First Cryo Archon, impossible to replicate. But MH was an exception.”
“Then—”
“Regrettably,” Albedo cut off Paimon’s hope, “MH passed away several centuries ago.”
“In truth, MH was a mutual friend of Lady Alice, my mother Rhinedottir, and the witch ‘N’.
The concept of the Hexenzirkel was originally proposed by MH—though it was only officially founded after their death.
In memory of MH, Lady Alice kept a seat reserved for them in the Hexenzirkel.
My mother, Rhinedottir, once mentioned to me:
‘MH was an extraordinarily brilliant musician.
People often mistook MH for an unconventional alchemist because the results left behind were nearly impossible to replicate.
But that was not alchemy—at least, not in the traditional sense.
MH’s method was “Attunement.”
Through specific frequencies, MH could alter the subatomic structures of matter, harmonizing the essences of different materials to mold the desired “concepts.” Although the final result resembled the products of alchemy, the underlying logic was entirely different.
If MH’s ability had to be classified under a single term, it could be summarized as “Harmony.” And MH should be called the “Attuner of All Things,” rather than an alchemist.’ This story is hosted at novelping . com.
My mother did not reveal MH’s real name to me.
There are many extraordinary individuals in Teyvat, but almost none have earned such admiration from my mother in the realm of creation.”
Lumine fell silent.
*Harmony.* The word was so familiar.
Could that predecessor have been a member of The Family?
“However, my mother inherited part of that technique from MH,” Albedo said, changing the subject.
“She used other materials to synthesize substitutes similar to Light Cones. Though they couldn’t reach the completeness of the originals, they were sufficient for storing and extracting memories.”
He examined the Light Cone Lumine had brought and began to evaluate it.
“My skill in alchemy has not yet reached my mother’s height. But if it is merely restoring memories during the faded stage of a Light Cone, I can do it.”
He added, “However, this is limited to visual imagery. Deep-layer experiences like tactile sensations, emotions, and scents originally attached to it, once consumed during use, cannot be recovered.”
“That’s enough,” Lumine nodded.
Diluc’s requirements in the commission had specified only the restoration of the video images.
“Very well.” Albedo closed his notebook.
“I will need you to help me collect some materials.”
For the next half day, Lumine and Paimon ran all over Mondstadt.
They climbed Starsnatch Cliff to gather Cecilia flowers, which had to be frozen using the Cryo element before sunrise, or else the memory conductivity of the petals would be destroyed.
They headed down to the Temple of the Thousand Winds to farm Ruin Guards.
As they dismantled the parts, Paimon stood to the side anxiously shouting, “Its eye turned red! It’s gonna shoot, dodge!”
Lumine skillfully rolled to dodge, coming back with a flash of lightning that paralyzed the Ruin Guard.
By the time they dragged their exhausted bodies back to the snow mountain workshop, Albedo had already set up his alchemy equipment.
The restoration process was swift.
When the final material was dropped into the alchemy array, pale gold light rippled outward like water.
As the long-dormant Light Cone seemed to be injected with new life and slowly began playing imagery—
Paimon squeezed right up to the front.
“A baby?” She tilted her head, watching the image grow clearer within the Light Cone.
“It’s so tiny!”
In the image was an infant in swaddling clothes.
Wrapped in fabric that looked very expensive, a cute little face was revealed.
She had her eyes closed, seemingly fast asleep, her tiny fingers occasionally curling.
When the infant unconsciously opened her eyes in the image, they were a pure gold.
“Golden eyes,” Paimon said in wonder.
“They look so much like yours, Lumine!”
Lumine did not dispute it.
She stared at the golden eyes in the Light Cone, an inexplicable sense of familiarity sweeping through her heart.
A hand extended from the edge of the frame.
An ice-blue shimmer flowed from the fingertips, condensing into an intricately structured, never-melting snowflake pendant.
The hand gently placed the snowflake into the swaddling clothes, the gesture immensely gentle.
The image froze at this frame.
“This…” Paimon scratched her head.
“This is a five-star Light Cone? Why is… a baby recorded in it?”
Albedo gazed at the Light Cone, his expression thoughtful.
“In terms of quality, this is indeed a five-star Light Cone.”
He paused.
“According to Akademiya research, memories recorded in high-quality Light Cones are usually associated with major historical figures or significant activities of gods.”
Lumine didn’t say anything.
Every single one of the three five-star Light Cones in her backpack was related to a god.
And this one…
She looked at the line of “Seelie script” at the edge of the Light Cone that she could fully read.
*Sovereign of Frost and Snow…
Could this be the friend Venti and Zhongli often talk about?*