Butterfly's Dream

Butterfly's Dream is the first act of Xiao's Story Quest, the Alatus Chapter. In order to unlock this questline, the player needs a Story Key, must have completed Chapter I: Act I - Of the Land Amidst Monoliths, and reached Adventure Rank 40.
During the act, the Traveler comes across a hoard of Hilichurls with unusual dark energy, and during the confrontation meets a man who claims that he is an adeptus.
==List of Quests==
#The Master of Stars' Deception
#Glimmers of the Vigilant Yaksha
#The Purging of Evil
#Insights of Drifting Dreams
==Summary==
;The Master of Stars' Deception
Outside Wangshu Inn, the Traveler and Paimon find two Hilichurls emitting a malevolent aura around them. Worried about the safety of the guests at the inn, the Traveler kills the two. They then spot another pair of malevolent hilichurls and four people, one of them a masked man who drives them off.
Talking to the masked man, the man realizes that he hasn't met them and introduces himself as an adepti called Starsnatcher. He asks them what they would like, but when the Traveler expresses doubt, he tells them to speak with his followers first. The followers tell them that Starsnatcher is a miracle worker, but they had to pay him Mora for his services.
Starsnatcher then asks them once more for their wish, and the Traveler tells him that they are looking for their missing sibling. He agrees to help, on the grounds that they show him their faith, which the Traveler deduces as Mora. Paimon refuses to give Mora, so the Traveler opts for a tasty dish. She then suggests they head to Wanwen Bookhouse to see if they have any new cookbooks in stock.
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;Glimmers of the Vigilant Yaksha
Heading to the bookhouse in search of a new recipe, the pair witness Starsnatcher purchasing the book "Yakshas: The Guardian Adepti." Puzzled as to why an adeptus would need to buy a book about himself and now suspicious, Paimon and the Traveler take a peek at one of its copies. The tale is set in ancient times, when monstrosities formed from the vengeful wrath of bygone gods wreaked havoc on Liyue. To combat the chaos, Rex Lapis assigned several adepti to become Yaksha to purge the demons, but the cruelty of brutal combat eventually began to affect them. In the end, only one Yaksha remained; the Conqueror of Demons, who the pair recognize as Xiao.
After reading the story, Paimon and the Traveler begin to suspect that Starsnatcher is a fraud. Returning to the outskirts of the inn once more, they find Starsnatcher and his group with more evil hilichurls. Starsnatcher tries to drive them off, but fails and wonders why his Sigil of Permission is not working. With the entire group cowering in fear, the Traveler dispatches of the monsters before they could cause any harm. Starsnatcher attempts to claim that he is too tired for his inability to fight the Hilichurls, but Paimon no longer believes his claims. Spotting another group of evil Hilichurls, she advises the Traveler to use their Elemental Sight to follow the evil aura.
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;The Purging of Evil
They track the Hilichurls' aura and discover Xiao with three dead hilichurls. Xiao is surprised to see the pair, but admits to them that he was the one who caused the problem in the first place with his karma. Paimon realizes the book was telling the truth and takes pity on Xiao, but he tells them that the book is "fan fiction" and that his fallen comrades would be insulted by her tears. Xiao tells them that he is about to enter the nearby cavern and use the Bane of All Evil to cleanse it. Despite insisting he can handle the task alone, Paimon suggests she and the Traveler accompany him, which he reluctantly allows.
Inside, the Traveler and Paimon watch as Xiao exterminates the demons with ease. After the cavern has been cleansed, Paimon asks him if he knows of an adepti called Starsnatcher. Xiao states that he has not heard of the name and becomes disgusted when she tells him that he is readily granting the people wishes. Paimon also tells him that Starsnatcher has been using a Sigil of Permission to exorcise the demons, which alarms Xiao as it is why the demons had been congregating in the first place.
Xiao then states that they would need to confiscate the sigil, or the problem would be too much for him to handle. Wondering how they could do so without violence, Xiao then remembers another adepti art - the Dream Trawler; while normally used to separate the soul from the body, it can also be used to call the spirits of others. He tells them that in order to prepare the ritual, they'll need a censer, some lamps and items to bring the temperature down. Paimon suggests using Mist Flowers to lower the temperature, which he accepts. They are still unsure as to where to get the censer and lamps, but Xiao tells them that there's a shrine near the southern road of Mt. Tianheng that will have the items they need, and reminds them to head outside the two Yaksha statues there at nightfall.
----
;Insights of Drifting Dreams
The Traveler locates the shrine to procure the items they need, under the guidance of its protector Pervases. When the human form of Pervases disappears and he instead speaks to them through the vessel of a statue, it is revealed that he was the Yakshas' junior student and was using his Mortal Lingering art to speculate what has become of Liyue, in celebration of the anniversary of his death. Sensing Xiao's karmic burden on them, he tells them to send his regards to Vigilant Yaksha, adding his mournful final wish of tasting Grilled Ticker Fish again.
After Xiao and the Traveler successfully initiate the ritual, the soul of Starsnatcher appears before them, believing it is a dream. The Traveler proves this false and makes an example out of him. Starsnatcher is terrified by their strength and begs for mercy, believing them to be adepti. Paimon then states that they aren't adepti, but then introduces Xiao, who chastises Starsnatcher for his actions. Starsnatcher then asks Xiao for his name, only to be told by the Traveler who he actually is. In a surprising twist, Starsnatcher begins praising Xiao, revealing himself to be a fan of the Vigilant Yaksha.
Starsnatcher than explains to the Traveler that he knows of Xiao because his grandfather was a folklorist who told him about Xiao's exploits as a child, hence why he collected books about the Yaksha. When he searched his father's belongings, he found a Sigil of Permission and began cosplaying as an adepti for fun, but eventually became swayed by greed and attention. Seeing Xiao in the flesh has caused him to realize the error of his ways, and he swears an oath to him that he will never operate under falsehoods again. Xiao accepts his oath and dismisses him. To Paimon's worry, she realizes that they forgot to ask him about returning the sigil, and suggests to the Traveler they return to Wangshu Inn the next day.
Returning to the inn, the Traveler speaks to Verr Goldet, who informs them that Starsnatcher, under the name of Wang Ping'an, had checked out from the inn, but not before leaving a letter for them. Initially believing that it is a final trick, Paimon is surprised to find out that the letter's contents are apologetic and sincere; Wang has gone on a journey of self-reflection and returned the money he had fleeced from his followers. He also gives them some trinkets and the sigil, having had no use for the former and feeling unworthy of the latter.
The Traveler gives the sigil to Xiao downstairs, who thanks them for their assistance. To both the Traveler and Paimon's surprise, he orders Grilled Ticker Fish instead of Almond Tofu, wishing to honor his old friend. They then leave him alone so he can enjoy his meal in peace.
==Characters==
==Soundtracks==
==Trivia==
*During the Lantern Rite event, the requirements were lowered to Adventure Rank 23 and no Story Key was needed.
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
es:El sueño de la mariposa
ja:南柯の胡蝶、儺佑の夢
pt-br:Sonho de uma Borboleta