Episode 176: At my own death scene, comparing myself to the Lord Emperor
/"Ding! Congratulations to Zhongli for receiving the reward: Freedom Three-Piece Set:"
⟦ Freedom - Camera ⟧ "(Randomly teleports to a certain point in time and takes a photo of life.)"
⟦ Freedom - Wheelchair Set ⟧ "(When riding the wheelchair, comfort + 10, erosion reduction continuously decreases.)"
⟦ Freedom - Teacup Set ⟧ "(Drinking tea with this tea set allows you to savor life, ~no need to spend money on tea.)"
.....
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Nahida (Genshin Impact): "What was that reward just now? It seemed like there were three of them." ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "A camera, a wheelchair, and teacups." ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "They might still be useful, right?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Useful for what?" ]
[ Shinomiya Kaguya (Love Is War): "These items all look very ordinary. Do they have any special uses?" ]
[ Hu Tao (Genshin Impact): (Genshin Impact): "I'm curious too." ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "Please wait a moment, I'll test them out." ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "I can understand the others." ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "But why is there a wheelchair?" ]
[ .....]
〜Genshin Impact World〜
Liyue, Wangshu Inn—
Inside Wangshu Inn, Zhongli's gaze slowly shifted from the three-piece set to the wheelchair beside him. After a moment of contemplation, he temporarily set aside the subtle thoughts about "erosion" in his mind.
Then, his attention was drawn to the only item on site that puzzled him—
A contraption called "Freedom - Camera."
"Freedom... Camera?"
Zhongli murmured to himself. Just as he was about to explore the camera's purpose, an inexplicable energy suddenly enveloped them, and their vision abruptly darkened.
When he opened his eyes again, he was surprised to find himself on the bustling Yujing Terrace.
As he pondered, the crowd gathered behind him on Yujing Terrace caught his attention. They seemed to be astonished by something.
"Wait a moment."
Zhongli looked at the scene, a realization dawning on him.
"Where exactly is this...?"
As if in response to his question, Ningguang's voice, clear and firm, came from the center of Yujing Terrace:
"The Rex Lapis has been assassinated... Seal off the entire area!"
As Ningguang's words fell, the surrounding Millelith swiftly moved, encircling the crowd.
"So that's how it is. This can be considered a form of compensation, quite interesting."
Zhongli toyed with the camera in his hand, saying with great interest,
"This must be how it's used, right?"
After some fumbling, Zhongli finally grasped the camera's basic operations. He had to admit, this contraption indeed had a high-tech feel to it.
Once he learned how to use it, an interesting thought flashed in Zhongli's mind.
He found a good angle, raised the camera towards the center of Yujing Terrace, extended two fingers, and chuckled:
"Come on, let's all make a V-sign!"
After taking the shot, Zhongli wanted to take a few more as souvenirs, but just then, the Traveler in this world was already preparing to flee the scene.
The Traveler also noticed Zhongli, who was standing at the edge of Yujing Terrace and behaving strangely.
"Who is that person?"
The Traveler's curiosity was piqued, but the urgency of being pursued by the Millelith left her no time to delve deeper, so she quickened her pace, trying to escape.
Paimon followed closely, shouting,
"Traveler, wait for me!"
Zhongli witnessed all of this. He had no intention of interfering too much with the affairs of this world; he merely wanted to add a touch of commemoration to his experiences by taking these interesting photos.
—
/"Ding! The live broadcast cooldown is complete."
/"Ding! The live broadcast entrance is reopened."
/"Ding! This live broadcast content is " Dimensional World Inventory "."
/" " Top Ten Famous Scenes: Part 2 "."
/"Ding! Fifth Scene: " A Little Archon's Happy Day "."
.....
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Jashin-chan (Dropkick on My Devil) "A happy day? What's there to be happy about?" ]
[ Kato Megumi (Saekano): "A little Archon?" ]
[ Tanya von Degurechaff (Youjo Senki) "Another Archon." ]
/"Ding! Extra Scene: " Happy Birthday " begins!"
These words suddenly popped up on the live stream screen, greatly increasing the curiosity of the audience, who began to speculate.
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Happy Birthday?" ]
[ Shinomiya Kaguya (Love Is War): "No, why is it an extra right from the start this time?" ]
[ .....]
/"Ding! Livestream begins: "
『 The scene shifted to a garden, where a little girl lay peacefully sleeping on the grass.
As the scene smoothly unfolded, a clear and pleasant narration sounded:
"The flower carriage bumps and sways. Nahida opens her eyes."
"She says she just had a dream, dreaming that Nahida's birthday is today."
Nahida, just returned from her dreamland, shared her sweet dream with a smile on her face, facing the camera—
"In her dream, the Flower Knights and their attendants found her."
In the scene, the joyful Flower Knights, all reverent and respectful, extended a sincere invitation to little Nahida.
"Oh, Archon, we've finally found you. Everyone is eager to meet you."
Immediately after, the camera followed the extremely polite Flower Knight, escorting Nahida step by step away from the current scene, heading towards more surprises...
The scene changed.
What came into view was a grand celebration. Amidst laughter and joy, everyone surrounded a petite figure, dancing gracefully, like an elf leaping amidst a kaleidoscope of colors.
At this moment, that familiar voice sounded again, with a warm announcement:
"The Flower God's Birthday Festival has begun, and people happily dance around her in circles."
After the dance, everyone slowly reined in their smiles, respectfully and lovingly guiding this little Archon onto a beautifully decorated flower carriage, which had been waiting by the roadside, as if specially blooming for this moment.
"Until Nahida sat on the flower carriage, waving goodbye to everyone."
The final scene was fixed on Nahida sitting on the flower carriage, her smile as bright as sunshine. She kept waving to everyone around her, her pure joy infectious.
And the onlookers, their faces beaming with happiness, sent her off with the warmest applause and cheers. The scene was as heartwarming as something out of a fairy tale.
Until the flower carriage gradually moved away and disappeared at the end of the road, the farewells of the people slowly faded.
The beauty of that moment seemed to make time stand still, making one believe that in this world, there indeed exist warmth and miracles no less than those in fairy tales. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Nahida (Genshin Impact): "Is this my birthday?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Is this the God of Wisdom of Sumeru?" ]
[ Nahida (Genshin Impact): "It's so beautiful. This should be a very wonderful story, right?" ]
[ Sawamura Eriri (Saekano): "It must be. Such a warm art style only appears in good stories." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "How nice. This Archon looks so happy." ]
[ .....]
『 At this very moment, the familiar scene replayed.
Nahida, on the bed, slowly opened her eyes, as if waking from a dream.
She touched the top of her head, finding the flower crown gone, but she didn't show the slightest disappointment.
On the contrary, the moment she realized a certain presence, words gushed out like a spring, full of joy.
"The flower carriage bumps and sways. Nahida opens her eyes."
"She says she just had a dream, dreaming that Nahida's birthday is today."
The scene shifted, and we arrived at a lush green meadow.
Nahida leaned against a small stone, falling into a sweet dream.
Small animals gathered curiously around her, their gazes gently fixed on the petite figure.
"In her dream, the Flower Knights and their attendants found her."
And when Nahida woke again, several familiar figures were dancing before her, joyfully approaching her.
The Traveler, Paimon, Tighnari, Nilou, Cyno, Dehya, and Alhaitham all happily gathered around.
The Traveler kindly extended her hands, inviting: "Oh, Archon, we've finally found you. Everyone is eager to meet you."
Everyone laughed in unison, expressing their joy to Nahida.
And on her head, a new flower crown miraculously appeared, as if by magic.
Then, the scene returned to the lively square.
The crowd surrounded the little Archon in the center, singing and dancing, celebrating the beginning of the "Flower God's Birthday Festival."
"The Flower God's Birthday Festival has begun, and people happily dance around her in circles."
The Traveler watched Nahida's joyful appearance intently, a warm smile on her face.
"Until Nahida sat on the flower carriage, waving goodbye to everyone."
A beautifully decorated flower carriage slowly drove away, carrying Nahida, who happily waved goodbye to everyone.
This time, Nahida's happiness was so real, almost tangible.
However, as the scene gradually faded, everything returned to profound darkness, as if foretelling the beginning or end of another journey. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Huh? Traveler, why are we in there, too?" ]
[ Tighnari (Genshin Impact): "??" ]
[ Nilou (Genshin Impact): "??" ]
[ Cyno (Genshin Impact): "??" ]
[ Dehya (Genshin Impact): "??" ]
[ Alhaitham (Genshin Impact): "??" ]
[ Tighnari (Genshin Impact): "We actually got to celebrate the Archon's birthday in person, this..." ]
[ Nilou (Genshin Impact): "Great God of Wisdom, happy birthday to you!" ]
[ Dunyarzad (Genshin Impact): "Oh Archon, happy birthday!" ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "Happy birthday!" ]
[ Stelle (Honkai: Star Rail): "Happy birthday!" ]
[ Everyone: "+1 +1 +1" ]
[ Nahida (Genshin Impact): "Thank you all." ]
[ Dehya (Genshin Impact): "How come I, a mercenary, am in there too?" ]
[ Cyno (Genshin Impact): "My Lord Archon, Cyno is honored to celebrate your birthday." ]
[ Alhaitham (Genshin Impact): "Is this our Sumeru Archon? She doesn't seem to have much wisdom, but it's not bad." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Are you all those people in the scene?" ]
[ Nilou (Genshin Impact): "Yes, little Paimon. We welcome your arrival in Sumeru." ]
[ Nilou (Genshin Impact): "Just come find us in Sumeru City then." ]
[ Dehya (Genshin Impact): "...." ]
[ .....]
『 In this profound darkness, a cold and flat voice sounded again.
"The flower carriage bumps and sways. Nahida opens her eyes."
The surrounding music suddenly changed tune, falling from lively and cheerful into a heavy, low murmur. Even the previously bright scene was enveloped in gloom at this moment.
"She says she just had a dream, dreaming that Nahida's birthday is today."
As the words fell, the surrounding scenery flickered several times. Suddenly, the world was dyed blood red, the green grass faded to gray, and Nahida herself was swallowed by black and white.
This scene seemed to foretell the reappearance of a past truth.
"In her dream, the Flower Knights and their attendants found her."
As Nahida awoke, a group of people dressed in scholars' attire gradually gathered.
"OH,h Archon, we've finally found you. Everyone is eager to meet you."
They surrounded Nahida, as if they had encountered a miracle, pointing and gesticulating at the freshly awakened girl, full of curiosity.
One of the scholars roughly dragged the delicate Nahida, ignoring her resistance, and forcibly pulled her away from the place.
"The Flower God's Birthday Festival has begun, and people happily dance around her in circles."
However, when this scene was mentioned again, the previous laughter and joy were gone, replaced by a silent crowd. Everyone bowed their heads in mourning, immersed in an inexplicable sadness.
Nahida was still being tightly pulled by the scholar, endlessly, until she stepped into a luxuriously decorated room.
"Until Nahida sat on the flower carriage, waving goodbye to everyone."
At this moment, even the flower carriage was gone. Only the helpless Nahida sat alone on a huge platform in the center, surrounded by emptiness and silence.
The scholars who brought her here, all with stern expressions, successively left the room.
The door closed, and everything gradually disappeared into the depths of darkness again.
What followed was an increasingly oppressive voice, piercing everyone's hearts.
"The flower carriage bumps and sways. Nahida opens her eyes."
Nahida, imprisoned within the barrier, quietly opened her eyes. Her dull eyes, devoid of luster, gazed forward.
"She says Nahida's birthday is today."
"Happy Birthday."
"Nahida." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Happy Birthday..." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "On her happiest day, she encountered such a thing." ]
/"Ding! Extra Scene: " Happy Birthday " ends!"
/"Ding! Main Story, about to begin!"
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Is this, is this really an Archon?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "What exactly happened?!" ]
[ Tighnari (Genshin Impact): "Our Archon, Lesser Lord Kusanali, actually..." ]
[ Sawamura Eriri (Saekano): "Why did 'Happy Birthday' turn out like this?" ]
[ Klee (Genshin Impact): "Poor big sister." ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "How terrible! How could they do such a thing!" ]
[ Stelle (Honkai: Star Rail): "My hand feels a bit itchy... " ]
[ .....]
『 The screen lit up again, magically presenting an exotic little house. Inside, the Traveler and Paimon were slowly waking up.
"(Yawn) Did we oversleep a bit?"
Paimon rubbed her sleepy eyes and said to the Traveler beside her, her tone a bit hazy, "How about we hurry up and go meet Dunyarzad?"
The Traveler nodded immediately in agreement, without any hesitation.
So the two quickly tidied themselves up and stepped out of the little house. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Traveler, it's us again!" ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "I see, it seems we're involved too." ]
[ Dunyarzad (Genshin Impact): "I actually know you??" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Of course you do, you invited us!" ]
[ Dunyarzad (Genshin Impact): "Mm!" ]
[ .....]
『 They walked through various rooms and finally arrived at the agreed meeting point with Dunyarzad.
Upon arriving, they found Dunyarzad had been waiting for a long time, as if time flowed quietly around her.
"Good morning, Paimon, Traveler. I've been waiting for you." Dunyarzad, noticing the two approaching, greeted them warmly.
Seeing Dunyarzad's unstoppable enthusiasm, even Paimon suddenly felt her face flush, and she couldn't help but feel shy.
"We're really sorry, Dunyarzad. Good morning. We seem to have accidentally overslept."
Paimon and the Traveler both felt quite embarrassed about being late.
After all, the time had been set beforehand, and Dunyarzad had been waiting there since early morning, while they were still wandering in dreamland.
But the gentle Dunyarzad immediately comforted them with warm words:
"Oh, don't say that, I just arrived a little early."
Then, she seemed to relax and let out a soft sigh: "Hoo—"
"This day has finally arrived. Every minute and every second is as precious as gold, worth cherishing."
Dunyarzad's eyes were filled with anticipation for everything that was about to happen.
Paimon understood this feeling. Seeing her slightly tired, she flew to her side and gently comforted her:
"After all, Dunyarzad, you put a lot of effort into this day, didn't you?"
"You need to cheer up and enjoy this day."
"Haha, you're right. It's just that I was indeed too excited last night and couldn't sleep. I hope my body doesn't hold me back today." Dunyarzad said with a hint of sadness, "Well, shall we leave now? How about we go check out the stalls first?"
After speaking, Dunyarzad led the two to stroll through the market of the Flower God's Birthday Festival.
Seeing the dazzling array of vendors, Dunyarzad began to introduce them: "Many merchants here voluntarily participate in the Flower God's Birthday Festival, and they refused subsidies. Shouldn't we also go support them?"
Hearing this unexpected news, Paimon's eyes widened: "Refused subsidies? It seems these merchants care about more than just money."
Logically speaking, business people usually look to "money."
After all, profit is the essence of a merchant.
However, today's merchants refused subsidies, which made things intriguing.
Dunyarzad then revealed the mystery: "They said that today is a rare opportunity to celebrate Lesser Lord Kusanali's birthday, and creating a joyful atmosphere is more important than money." 』
『 .....』