TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!
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Cloud Retainer ultimately did not dare to personally mention Guizhong to Granny Ping, so that responsibility fell to Ganyu.
Ganyu began with the story of Dvorak's ancestor, speaking of how Dvorak came to Liyue in search of an adeptus, and how everyone helped him along the way…
When she reached the part about Cloud Retainer, Ganyu said, "Cloud Retainer told us that the adeptus who played celestial music and saved the person who fell into the water… was you."
Granny Ping lowered her gaze in contemplation, then nodded. "That was all a very long time ago. Thanks to Cloud Retainer for still remembering. What's even more remarkable is that although mortals have such short lifespans, that incident has been passed down among them as a story all the way to the present… hehe, that person really did say it right again."
"That person…?" Paimon leaned in at once, asking curiously.
"We called her 'Guizhong.' Judging by Cloud Retainer's reaction, she must have already told you about her, yes?"
"Hey—" Cloud Retainer raised a hand defensively. "It wasn't this adeptus who took the initiative to bring it up."
"Hehe, it's all right. The Lantern Rite is a festival meant to commemorate the heroes who protected Liyue. Guizhong, though she had no chance to witness Liyue's prosperity today, truly deserves the title of hero."
"So, what did Guizhong say?" Paimon pressed.
Granny Ping recalled,
"At first, Guizhong told me that humans were extremely fragile beings, and that because she possessed wisdom, she wished to use it to protect them."
"Later, after interacting more with humans, her thoughts changed. She would sigh to me about how delicate and ingenious the human heart was, and tell me how dazzling human effort and ingenuity could be."
"She said we must never underestimate human potential—given just a little guidance, they could erupt with astonishing power…"
"She said that one day, she and humans might even be hard to distinguish from one another. When that time came… she could learn from them, and they from her."
"But she missed many things. After the Archon War, the machines of Khaenri'ah and Fontaine emerged, and humans truly achieved remarkable feats through their own strength."
"Something as small as me saving someone—if humans are willing, it can be passed down to this day. That is their power: a strength that accumulates endlessly, and given enough time, can create an infinite future."
Paimon said wistfully, "You can tell Guizhong really loved humans…"
"Yes… The Lantern Rite has come again. Among us, she was the one who loved such lively, grand occasions the most, yet she cannot see them now. If she were still here, who knows how many interesting inventions she would bring out just for the festival—but she would certainly find every excuse to compete with Cloud Retainer again…"
Hearing this, even Victor Wang, who already knew Guizhong's story, could not help but imagine it.
If Guizhong were still alive, she would surely appear at the Moonchase Festival, the Lantern Rite… at every grand celebration, using her power to make the festivities even livelier.
She would also be a mediator between adepti and humans. For a festival like the Lantern Rite, she would certainly gather all the adepti together. Zhongli might no longer need to reveal his adeptal form only once a year, but could openly sit at the very center of the celebration with the other adepti, cups clinking in camaraderie, perhaps even with the Qixing at the same table… With her there, the relationship between adepti and humans would never have grown distant.
What a shame…
What a shame she died before the end of the Archon War, perhaps never even attending a single Lantern Rite…
Cloud Retainer must have imagined it countless times as well, for she was the first to wake from that reverie. Responding to Granny Ping, she said, "Not just I—whenever Liyue Harbor celebrates festivals, music never ceases. When it comes to melody… she would surely seek you out to appreciate it together, to comment on it together, and then pull you in so your music could merge into that lively atmosphere."
"Yes, yes…"
"Oh, right—music!" Paimon suddenly remembered the main point and exclaimed excitedly. "Granny Ping, what kind of piece was it that you played back then? And also! Since you know so much about music, would you like to participate in this year's concert?"
Ganyu was so eager she nearly bounced. "If you're willing, I can make arrangements for you right away!"
Granny Ping smiled and shook her head.
"It's not that this old woman wishes to dampen your spirits—it's just that I haven't touched that instrument in a very long time. My fingers are quite rusty…"
"Every time I play that piece, I can't help but think of Guizhong, and wonder how she would judge the melody I adapted."
"For a while, I even felt that as soon as the strings moved, Guizhong would return, sitting on the stone bench beside me, chatting away."
"And then there was Sea Gazer, Skybracer… everyone seemed as though they would return, just like before. As long as the music lingered, everything reverted to how it was in memory…"
Hearing Granny Ping speak of this, Ganyu felt pained. "I thought you had already put the past behind you, which is why I came to trouble you… I didn't think it through enough."
Granny Ping replied, "To say I've completely let go would just be self-deception. But if you ask how sorrowful I still am… beyond the sadness, I've also seen many wonderful things in this mortal world. Even if I wanted to grieve forever, it wouldn't be easy."
Having observed Granny Ping's reaction the whole time, Cloud Retainer nodded slightly. "Only with such frankness of heart can one face sorrow directly. Here in Liyue Harbor, you truly have made some progress."
"Hehe. And since you're coming to live in Liyue Harbor as well, I recall how troubled you were back when you first discovered that Shenhe didn't like mechanism arts."
Cloud Retainer never expected her embarrassing history to be exposed like this. By the time she reacted, everyone else was already staring at her with curiosity.
Shenhe even asked, "So Master originally wanted me to learn mechanism arts?"
"Ahem… After all, mechanism arts are my greatest passion," Cloud Retainer said awkwardly, glancing toward Granny Ping. "But that's all in the past. Why bring it up now?"
"In this Liyue Harbor, in this mortal world, among the masses—there are still quite a few promising seedlings who take interest in mechanism arts, if one were to look carefully."
"…I see what you mean. That might not be a bad idea. But let's wait until I've grown accustomed to life here first. For now, I'm going to see the house Shenhe bought."
As Cloud Retainer prepared to leave, Ganyu and Lumine nodded in farewell and said to Granny Ping, "We should be going as well."
"Go on, go on. The music festival is a stage for the young—I won't join in. But when you next see that person from Fontaine, you can help me pass along a message. Tell him I wish his concert complete success."
"In other words…?" Lumine confirmed.
"Yes. You may tell him my identity as well."
"Leave it to us, Granny Ping!" Paimon replied confidently.
"Good, thank you all. Listening to this old woman ramble on for so long, and still helping me afterward… As for the piece of music you're curious about, once I'm ready, I'll play it for you."
"We'll be looking forward to it!"
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