The grand villa of the Dawn Winery was bathed in the warm afternoon sun.
The grapevines had yet to sprout, but the air already carried the languor of spring.
“Master Diluc!
We’ve completed your commission!”
The voice arrived before the person did.
The white-haired little guide charged through the front door like a cannonball, followed by the blonde-haired Traveler.
The master of the Dawn Winery had been waiting in the hall.
He was dressed in dark casual wear, his sharp eyes softening slightly upon seeing the guests.
“Honorary Knight, Paimon.” Master Diluc nodded slightly, raising his hand in a polite gesture, “Please, sit.”
Drinks and snacks were already prepared on the coffee table, and Paimon’s eyes lit up instantly.
Since the Stormterror incident, Lumine and Paimon’s reputation in Mondstadt had soared, transforming from “Outlanders” to “Honorary Knight” and “her best companion.”
Later, they went on to accomplish a series of earth-shattering feats in Liyue and Inazuma.
Returning to Mondstadt for the Windblume Festival, besides the lively festivities, the two restless Adventurers had taken on another commission.
The “Repair the light cone” task that Master Diluc had posted for years was one of them.
Paimon held the exquisite box with both hands and placed it solemnly in front of Master Diluc: “Here, returning this to you!”
Master Diluc opened the lid of the box.
A palm-sized crystal chip lay quietly on the velvet lining.
The large areas of gray and blurry patches on the chip’s surface had now been restored to clear, dynamic images.
Although the colors were still a bit faint, the continuity and completeness of the images had not been seen for years.
“…Thank you.” Master Diluc’s voice was lower and slower than usual, “I have posted this commission at the Adventurers’ Guild for nearly six years.
I had long since given up hope.”
He closed the box and looked up at the two guests: “Beyond the commission Reward, please be sure to attend the Ragnvindr Clan’s family banquet tonight.”
“Hehe, you’re welcome!” Paimon dangled his legs in the air, his face filled with the joy of “getting to eat a big meal again.”
He suddenly remembered something and added: “Oh right, Lisa and Albedo also helped a lot with repairing the light cone!”
“I understand.” Master Diluc nodded, “I will prepare gifts of gratitude later and pay a visit to Ms.
Lisa and Mr.
Albedo.”
His gaze fell back onto the box, and he fell silent for a moment.
light cone.
A divine creation on the continent of Teyvat that could not be reproduced or imitated.
It was created by Morgan, the first Cryo Archon who fell five hundred years ago, the White Tsar of all spirits, and known as the “Archon of Literature and Art.”
It could completely seal memories of a specific moment—images, sounds, emotions, tactile sensations, and even scents—for future generations to experience repeatedly.
The memories within a [light cone] could be extracted and consumed; after extraction, the holder could recreate and experience the scene of that time.
Depending on the quality of the light cone, the number of uses varied; when a [light cone] turned gray with no image, it meant the memory within had been exhausted.
[light cones] presented different star ratings based on the recorder’s memory, representing five different specifications.
Although Fontaine had introduced cameras capable of recording, they were merely cheap, inferior products compared to [light cones] that could fully allow one to experience the recorder’s emotions.
A blank light cone was already a valuable antique.
If it were an ancient light cone containing memories, especially one recording important historical figures or events, it could fetch an exorbitant price at the Akademiya’s auctions.
And Lumine happened to have a dozen or so in her possession.
Some were opened from ruin chests while completing commissions, and others were gifted by an Adeptus before parting ways.
And those gifted by the three Archons each had a five-star rating on the back of the card.
The one Venti gave her was the freedom of the thousand winds brushing across the plains, an image of the wind spirit and the Dragon of the East flying with the wind.
“The [light cone] was created by a good friend of mine.
He came from beyond the stars, just like you, and was a romantic and generous Archon.
Although he disappeared in the catastrophe five hundred years ago, I still miss the times we played music together.” The carefree Anemo Archon rarely looked so melancholic.
The one Zhongli gifted her recorded the moment when Liyue Harbor was first built, the gaze of the Geo Archon looking out at the myriad lights of the city.
“As the Fourth Descender, he, like you, was not bound by fate, but he stayed because of the people and events of this land.
The light cone was his final gift to this world, and many people’s fates were changed because of it.
It could record [memories] that were not acknowledged, or even erased, by the world.
Perhaps you will have a use for it one day.” The heavily eroded Geo Archon sighed deeply.
The one from Raiden Ei was the back view of her sister and old friends accompanying her to watch fireworks.
“My connection with him was not as deep as my sister’s, but he was a miraculous spirit.
During the banquet where the Seven gathered, I followed behind my sister as her shadow warrior and saw him a few times.
The [light cone] he gifted my sister allowed her to retain a sliver of consciousness during that cruel war.” The Raiden Shogun looked relieved.
Ningguang purchased many of the low-star light cones that she didn’t need at market price, making the two Adventurers incredibly wealthy. This chapter was copied from novelping . com without permission.
During that time, Paimon ate Buddha Jumps Over the Wall every meal, his little tummy round and full.
And this one before her was the first time Lumine attempted to “repair” a light cone.
To repair it, she had consulted the most highly educated librarian in Mondstadt.
“Hmm~ Although I’m very happy that you cuties trust Sister Lisa,” Lisa leaned against the Sumeru-style bookshelf, her fingertips casually twirling a lock of purple hair.
“But unfortunately, I am an Elemental scholar from the Haravatat, and I am not well-versed in the study of light cones.
If you want to restore the lost memories of a light cone, that is a major topic that even the six great schools haven’t fully researched.”
She glanced at the light cone Lumine brought, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes:
“However, if you want to decipher the inscriptions on the light cone, I can help copy them and then consult the teachers and colleagues at the Akademiya.
A five-star light cone would drive the scholars studying historical materials at the Akademiya crazy.”
Her gaze fell on the tiny characters on the back of the light cone: “These are characters personally created by the Spirit Tsar.
It is said that they automatically generate a brief summary based on the recorded memory—perhaps a manifestation of that Archon of Literature’s authority.”
“No need to decipher,” Lumine said, “I can understand it.”
Lisa’s movements paused for a moment.
“…Oh?” She slowly raised her head, her green eyes carefully assessing Lumine, “You can understand the inscriptions on the light cone, cutie?”
Lumine nodded.
She could understand these so-called “characters created by the Tsar.” Weren’t these just the interstellar common language?
This old predecessor who also came from beyond the stars was really…
Lisa laughed softly: “Oh my, that’s extraordinary.
If you are willing to register your name at the Akademiya, those old men from the Haravatat would probably send you an honorary professor appointment letter overnight—the light cone language hasn’t been fully deciphered yet.”
Lumine politely declined.
—Just kidding, she didn’t want to be caught and used as a dictionary by Sumeru’s academic bureaucrats.
Although she hadn’t visited that country yet, from Lisa’s few words, she sensed that the Akademiya was recently up to something not very good.
After bidding farewell to Lisa, the two followed her suggestion and headed to the snowy mountain area west of Mondstadt to visit that young alchemist.
Albedo’s studio was as clean and quiet as usual, filled with a sense of Order that lay between science and mystery.
The blonde-haired youth was hunched over his desk, drawing some kind of terrifyingly complex alchemy array.
He looked up after hearing footsteps.
“Traveler, Paimon.” He put down his quill, his expression calm with a smile, “Welcome.”
Paimon immediately chattered and explained the whole situation.
Albedo listened and nodded: “The repair of the light cone is theoretically feasible.”
He paused: “I know a bit more about the manufacturing process of light cones.”
Lumine looked at him.
Albedo’s tone was as if he were stating some perfectly ordinary fact.
“In the Hexenzirkel, there is a member who knows the complete manufacturing method of light cones.”
“Hexenzirkel?” Paimon blinked, “Oh!
That’s the one Klee’s mom talked about last time on the island, right!”
“Yes.
Ms.
Alice is the witch with the codename ‘A’; members of the Hexenzirkel each use a letter as their codename.”
Albedo continued calmly, “But there is one special witch among them, codenamed ‘MH’.”
He looked at Lumine: “It is generally believed in the world that creating light cones is a miracle exclusive to the first Cryo Archon and cannot be replicated.
But MH is an exception.”
“Then—”
“Unfortunately.” Albedo cut off Paimon’s hope, “MH passed away hundreds of years ago.”
“In fact, MH was a mutual friend of Ms.
Alice, my mother Rhinedottir, and the witch ‘N’.”
The concept of the Hexenzirkel was originally proposed by MH—although it was formally founded only after their passing.
To commemorate MH, Ms.
Alice still reserved a seat for them in the Hexenzirkel.
My mother Rhinedottir once mentioned to me:
[MH was an extremely excellent musician.
The world often mistakenly thinks MH was an alchemist with unconventional methods because the results left behind were almost impossible to reproduce.
That was not alchemy—at least, not alchemy in the traditional sense.
By using a specific frequency, they changed the structure of matter smaller than atoms, harmonizing the essence of different materials to mold the ‘concepts’ they needed.
Although the final presentation was similar to alchemical products, the underlying logic was completely different.
If one had to classify MH’s ability with one word, it could be summarized as [Harmony].
And MH should be called the ‘Tuner of All Things’, rather than an alchemist.]
My mother did not reveal to me what MH’s real name was.
There are many talented and extraordinary people in Teyvat, but there are almost none who could make my mother admire them so much in terms of creation.”
Lumine fell silent.
Harmony—this term was so familiar.
Could that predecessor be a member of [The Family]?
“However, my mother obtained part of the technical inheritance from MH.” Albedo changed the subject.
“She has refined substitutes similar to light cones using other materials.
Although they cannot reach the completeness of the original version, they are sufficient for the preservation and extraction of memories.”
He looked at the light cone Lumine brought and began to evaluate: “My alchemy level has not yet reached my mother’s height.
But if it is just to repair the memories in the faded stage of the light cone, I can do it.”
He added: “But it is limited to images.
The original deep experiences such as tactile sensations, emotions, and scents, once consumed during the use of the light cone, cannot be retrieved.”
“That is enough.” Lumine nodded.
The requirement clearly stated by Master Diluc in the commission was only to restore the images.
“Very well.” Albedo closed his notebook, “I need you to help me collect some materials.”
For the next half day, Lumine and Paimon ran all over Mondstadt.
They went up to Starsnatch Cliff to pick Cecilias.
The flowers had to be frozen with Cryo energy before sunrise, otherwise, the memory conductivity of the petals would be destroyed.
They went down to the Thousand Winds Temple to farm Ruin Guards.
While dismantling parts, Paimon nervously shouted from the side, “Its eye is red, it’s going to shoot, dodge quickly!”
Lumine skillfully rolled to dodge, then turned back with a blade of Electro light, paralyzing the Ruin Guard.
By the time they dragged their exhausted bodies back to the snowy mountain studio, Albedo had already tuned the alchemy equipment.
The repair process was quick.
When the last material was tossed into the alchemy array, and the pale golden light rippled out like water waves.
When that long-silent light cone seemed to be injected with new life and began to play images slowly—
Paimon crowded to the very front.
“A baby?” She tilted her head, watching the image in the light cone gradually becoming clear, “Such a tiny one!”
In the image was a baby 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 baby unconsciously opened her eyes in the image, they were a pure gold.
“Golden eyes,” Paimon said in surprise, “They look just like Lumine’s!”
Lumine did not refute.
She stared at the golden eyes in the light cone, an indescribable sense of familiarity flashing through her heart.
A hand reached out 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 movement extremely gentle.
The image froze there.
“This…” Paimon scratched his head, “Is this a five-star light cone?
Why is it recorded…
as a baby?”
Albedo watched the light cone, his expression thoughtful: “In terms of quality, this is indeed a five-star light cone.”
He paused: “According to the Akademiya’s research, memories recorded by high-quality light cones are usually related to significant activities of important historical figures or Archons.”
Lumine did not speak.
The three five-star light cones in her backpack were each related to a Archon.
And this one…
She looked at the line of “Spirit language” on the edge of the light cone that she could completely understand.
The Emperor of Frost and Snow, could it be the friend often mentioned by Venti and Zhongli?