A Search for Secrets

A Search for Secrets is the second part of .
==Steps==
# Ask Xingqiu about Yuandai
# Meet up with the others at where Madame Ping is
# Listen to Shuyu tell of a secret experience
# Go to Wangshu Inn
# Look for clues in northern Jueyun Karst (0/3)
#* This quest step will advance after finding the abandoned house in the south.
# Go to Qingyun Peak
==Dialogue==
;(Approach Xingqiu)
: Xingqiu: Huh, it's you two... What brings you here?
: Paimon: Xingqiu! Great, we found you. We wanted to ask you about something!
:
: Xingqiu: Hmm... That's not a whole lot of information to go off of. I don't know if I can say for sure.
: That's fine.
: Anything is helpful and appreciated.
: Xingqiu: I can't pinpoint her identity from your description alone. But considering her age, I am reminded of a "nameless heroine" who's been featured in various chivalric novels.
: Paimon: Nameless heroine?
: Xingqiu: That's right. The novels often speak of a great drought from fifty years ago. As the people suffered, a nameless heroine appeared and began to clear away evil spirits and bandit camps. The people idolized her but never learned her name.
: Xingqiu: All they knew was that she always acted alone. Later, though, she supposedly fell in love with a similarly noble-minded exorcist from Mt. Tianheng. They were well-matched in more ways than one, often fighting together as a fearsome duo of otherworldly strength.
: Xingqiu: After the drought ended, the heroine and the exorcist left the public eye and began living a reclusive life in the mountains. All that remained were tales of her incredible accomplishments.
: Xingqiu: The way this nameless heroine faded from fame into obscurity later in life is not too dissimilar from Ms. Yuandai. I hope that's somewhat helpful.
: Paimon: Thanks a lot Xingqiu! We knew it'd be worth talking to you.
: Xingqiu: It's nothing at all, just something I came across while reading. I did do a bit of extra research on her story, but it was just out of personal curiosity.
: Paimon: Well, Paimon still thinks that's super cool! Wait, Xingqiu, if you've read up on her, do you know of any places often associated with her?
: Xingqiu: Let me think... In the novels, the nameless heroine always appeared near one of three places: Wangshu Inn, the area just north of Jueyun Karst, and Qingyun Peak.
: Xingqiu: Perhaps the real-life heroine who inspired the character was also often seen near those three places. That would explain why those locations appear in the various novels written about her.
: Thanks so much, Xingqiu!
: You were a huge help!
: Xingqiu: Haha, you're welcome. To be honest, I found some parts of the story confusing when I first came across it. If Ms. Yuandai was indeed the original inspiration for the character, she may just be able to help me put the pieces together.
: Xingqiu: It's rare for a chivalric hero to fade into obscurity during their lifetime, even after retiring from the public eye. But no one ever saw or heard from the nameless heroine again... There were even rumors that she became extremely ill.
: Xingqiu: I've never understood why someone would go to such lengths to erase themselves from public memory. It's almost as if she was trying to hide from something... There's probably far more to the story than what's been written.
: Paimon: We'll be sure to tell you if we manage to uncover the truth!
: Xingqiu: That's a deal. Perhaps, behind the truth of it all, there lies a story more fantastical than any work of fiction.
: Paimon: Paimon feels like we just learned so much from Xingqiu! A drought, a nameless heroine, a life of seclusion... Wait, why does this story sound super familiar?
: Paimon: Oh, right! There's a drought in this story, too. Um, Xingqiu, are droughts super common in Liyue or something?
: Xingqiu: Well... They used to be. But people have long since developed methods to prevent them, like by cultivating the soil or digging canals.
: Xingqiu: So while droughts do happen from time to time, they are rarely regarded as true disasters. The drought fifty years ago is probably one of the worst we've had in the last several centuries.
: Xingqiu: The crops withered, the streams ran dry, and the monsters in the mountains became rabid and agitated. Countless caravans were attacked, and people who lost their homes came together to form bandit groups... What started as a natural disaster soon became a human tragedy as well.
: Paimon: That sounds awful...
: Xingqiu: Yeah, and that's exactly why the nameless heroine was so beloved. She must have been someone of true integrity, to do so much for the people while asking nothing in return.
: Xingqiu: Still, as terrible as that drought was, it was nothing compared to the truly calamitous disasters that befell this land in ancient times.
: Xingqiu: They say that back in those days, disasters were both more severe and more common. Only the strongest of adepti could hope to dispel the ruin and devastation.
: Xingqiu: Do you have any other questions?
: Paimon: We're good for now! We're just going to head back and meet up with Ms. Xianyun and the others again.
: Paimon: Paimon hopes that Granny Yuandai will be able to remember more of her past! She used to be a great hero who saved many people. It's so sad that she can't recall any of it.
: Paimon: Anyway, we'll be off now! See you some other time, Xingqiu. Thank you so much for your help!
: Xingqiu: It's no problem at all. Safe travels.
;(Talk to Xingqiu again, optional)
: Xingqiu: Time erases everything. Even the greatest of heroes will have their legacy reduced to the small fraction of their deeds that were committed to paper.
: Xingqiu: But I think the magic of chivalric novels lies in the way you can catch glimpses of a noble soul from a few mere paragraphs.
;(Approach Madame Ping and Xianyun)
: Madame Ping: I have recorded the tune that you requested. I hope it will be of help to you.
: Xianyun: Thank you.
: Madame Ping: Hehe...
: Xianyun: Streetward... Ping, what has amused you so?
: Madame Ping: Oh, it's no serious matter. I was just reminiscing about the last time I saw you in this form... Time has wrought such change in this world, and yet, you appear just the same as ever.
: Xianyun: Time has little bearing on one's existence, nor has one keenly felt its effects whilst dwelling at Mt. Aocang. Nevertheless, Ping... One would like to seek your counsel on a personal matter.
: Madame Ping: Oh? Why so formal all of a sudden? I must say, you're making me a little nervous. What is it?
: Xianyun: Well... The inquiry is as such...
: Xianyun: ...Approximately how much Mora would one need to afford a comfortable life in the Harbor, not unlike the one that you yourself lead?
: Madame Ping: Hmm... it does not require as much as you may think. Still, do you mean that—
: Paimon: Cloud Retainer, Madame Ping! What are you two talking about?
: Xianyun: Ahem... Nothing, save for some trivial matters. Have you unearthed any useful details?
: Paimon: Xingqiu has a theory... But let's save it for when Shuyu and Ms. Yuandai have joined up with us again.
:
: Shuyu: ...
: Madame Ping: Do not be troubled, young lady. Here, have some tea.
: Shuyu: Ah... Thank you so much.
: Paimon: What do you think, Shuyu? Does it match up with what you know of your Granny?
: Shuyu: According to the story, the nameless heroine eventually fell in love with an exorcist from Mt. Tianheng. Maybe... that's my grandpa.
: Shuyu: I don't have many memories of him. But, there was this one time, I found a box in our attic full of a bunch of weird sigils.
: Seems like the stories were on the right track.
: We should probably pay a visit to the three places mentioned in the books.
: Shuyu: I think so too. Granny might remember something once she's returned to a familiar place.
: Yuandai: What marvelous tea... I can taste the dew's sweetness in this cup.
: Yuandai: It's as if I was taking a stroll in the mountains... thoroughly one with nature, and at peace...
: Madame Ping: Is that so? Then please drink as much as you like. There's no need to hurry. At our age, it's always nice to slow down and take the time to appreciate pleasant conversation among friends.
: Yuandai: Thank you...
: Let's rest here for a little while, then.
: Shuyu: Okay. Since we have the time... Could I ask you something?
: Paimon: Sure thing! What would you like to know?
: Shuyu: Um... I have a secret I wanna tell you. Let's go talk over there.
;(Talk to Madame Ping or Yuandai, optional)
: Madame Ping: You can taste the sweetness of the dew?
: Yuandai: It's just a feeling — the sensation of stepping out into the mountains on a cool morning, gazing upon the small droplets of water hanging from the leaves, and feeling the sweet stream of water soothe a parched throat with every swallow...
: Yuandai: It's a sense of calm and serenity, one that stretches on and on, until days become weeks, weeks become years...
;(Approach the marked location)
: Paimon: What's wrong, Shuyu?
: Shuyu: Well, I've kinda been meaning to ask ever since we started talking in the restaurant, but are you guys all... adepti in disguise?
: Paimon: Oh! Uhh... About that...
: Why do you say that?
: Shuyu: Well, you guys just seem super special. Plus... I think I might've heard Ms. Xianyun call herself an adeptus.
: Paimon: Eh... Must have been a slip of the tongue, hehe... Xianyun, since you were the one who, uh, "misspoke," maybe you can explain to Shuyu here what you really meant by that.
: Xianyun: Ahem...
: Xianyun: One is indeed an adeptus. Is that of some concern to you?
: Paimon: Eh!?
: Shuyu: I knew it...
: You don't sound surprised at all.
: Shuyu: Well... One time when I was a little kid, I saw a pure white illuminated crane.
: Shuyu: I had this super high fever, and Granny wasn't around. I was feeling all icky and gross. But then, this snowy-white crane flew down from the sky!
:
A Search for Secrets Quest Still 1.png
: Shuyu: She put me on her back, and flew me to her cool adeptus house, and fed me some sort of magic potion. When I woke up, I was already back in my bed, and my fever was gone.
: Shuyu: I really wanted to thank her, but I was too sleepy to stay awake, so I never got the chance.
: Shuyu: So, I just kinda wanted to ask if maybe... any of you have ever met an adeptus like that?
: Paimon: A... pure white illuminated crane? The only two we've ever met are blue-and-white, and black-and-brown...
: Paimon: Have you ever met one that's pure white, Cloud Retainer?
: Xianyun: Hmph. Never has one met an adeptus with such features. One surmises such a description is but a hyperbolic embellishment that oft results from narrative accounts.
: Shuyu: That's weird... Was it really just a dream, then?
: Shuyu: Well, even if it was just in my head, it doesn't matter that much anyway — all I really want is to help Granny recover her memories. I'm really grateful for all your help.
: Paimon: Leave it to us! Now that we know the three locations, we just need to visit them one by one.
: Paimon: Let's go to Wangshu Inn first!
: Shuyu: Okay! I'll go get Granny.
;(Talk to Madame Ping, optional)
: Madame Ping: Leaving already? Well, just remember that you can come over for a cup of tea at any time.
----
;(Approach Wangshu Inn)
: Yuandai: Wangshu Inn... Wangshu Inn...
: Shuyu: Do you remember this place, Granny?
: Yuandai: Yes! The fish here is very delicious. And if you look out into the distance... you can always spot a bird that's been left behind by its flock.
: Yuandai: I believe I used to have a room here. It had a window... Yes, yes, I spent a lot of time looking out that window. Which room was it again? Let me look...
: Shuyu: I'll come with.
: Paimon: Paimon's still having some trouble understanding what she's talking about, but if she's so familiar with this place, that must mean she lived here, right? Wait... Huh!?
: Paimon: Woah! Xiao! What are you doing here all of a sudden? You scared the living daylights out of Paimon!
: Xiao: I sensed a non-human presence and decided to come take a look.
: Xiao: If you're here, then there's likely no trouble afoot. I suppose there's no cause for concern.
: Xiao: ...It's been a while, Cloud Retainer. I see you have returned to your previous form.
: You've met her in this form before?
: Xiao: I have indeed. I fought alongside her in this form on many occasions during the Archon War.
: Paimon: Oh wow! What was she like during the War?
: Paimon: Wait, let Paimon take a guess... Was it anything like this?
:;(An imaginary weapon appears beside Paimon)
: Paimon: Behold the glory of one's newest invention, the Bang-Bang Continuous Fire Mechanism! Hands up in surrender, or be prepared to face the full might of the adepti!
: Xiao: An impressive imitation.
: Paimon: Hehe, Paimon knows her all too well!
: Xiao: Even so, Cloud Retainer was not always as ostentatious as you describe. You may be unaware, but her talent with adepti sigils is just as formidable as her skill in mechanics.
: Xiao: The Archon War reached its peak after Guizhong's death. The Cloud Retainer who fought beside me in those devastating battles was taciturn and solemn, only speaking when she had to activate her sigils.
: Paimon: A... Cloud Retainer who barely talks? Paimon can't picture it. But what happened after that? If you were so powerful in your human form, why did you decide to take up your bird form again?
: Xianyun: Once one had bid farewell to the world of mortals, what use would one still have for such a shape?
: Xianyun: When dwelling between mountain and forest, away from the struggles and troubles of the mortal world, a mortal form is hardly the most fitting of choices.
: Xiao: After the war, Cloud Retainer retired to Mt. Aocang, only revealing herself to the occasional visitor, and always in her avian form.
: Xiao: ...Although, I do believe there was an occasion some thirty odd years ago when she decided to don her human form. I believe it was for the purpose of—
: Xianyun: Ahem. One believes there is little need to relive bygone matters.
: Shuyu: Granny! Are you okay!?
: Yuandai: Ahh... Back then, at this place, I...
: Xiao: Perhaps this conversation should end here. I shall take my leave now.
: Xiao: Should you encounter any trouble, you need only call my name. However, given that you are traveling with Cloud Retainer, I trust you are in good hands.
: Shuyu: Everyone, I—I think Granny is finally beginning to remember her past!
: Xianyun: Slowly now. Calm your mind, and recount what has been recalled.
: Yuandai: A long time ago, I... stayed here to recuperate from my illness.
: Paimon: Huh? So what Xingqiu said was true? You did fall ill? Was that why you went into hiding?
: Yuandai: I... don't remember. I'm very sorry, but I can't even remember the name of my illness. The only thing I can remember is that it took a great toll on me, and there was no cure for it.
: Yuandai: I was confined to my room in Wangshu Inn, where I spent many days unconscious. I'd come to every once in a while and stare at the migrating birds outside the window. It was a solemn sight. I remember crying... but I'm not even sure I knew why...
:
A Search for Secrets Quest Still 2.png
: Yuandai: One day, I met a traveling merchant. Upon hearing of my illness, he sold me a bottle of Soul-Revitalizing Teapills.
: Yuandai: He told me that the pills were concocted using adepti blood and could be used to alleviate my symptoms. Sure enough, I made a full recovery. My illness remained dormant for several decades after that.
: So the "dementia" you're suffering from now is actually...
: Paimon: Wait, but if your illness "remained dormant" for several decades, are you saying that... what you're going through now is just a relapse of what happened all those years ago?
: Paimon: And it was all thanks to the pills that you managed to keep the symptoms in check? Ugh... Paimon's brain kinda hurts... Do you remember anything else?
: Yuandai: I'm sorry, I don't. *sigh* Ahh... If only I wasn't so useless...
: Shuyu: Hey, you're not useless! You've done so much for me, watched me grow up, raised me... How could you say that about yourself...
: Yuandai: Fret not, dear child. Granny was just a bit frustrated. That's all...
: Xianyun: The recovery of a person's memories is a gradual process. Finding pieces of one's past is always superior to not finding anything at all. Let us make haste to the next location.
: Paimon: Next location... next location... Why don't we go to the area north of Jueyun Karst next?
: Paimon: There isn't really a landmark there, so where should we start? Oh, Paimon's got it! Let's check out the houses in the area first.
: Paimon: After all, if she was there for any length of time, then she would've stayed somewhere, right? Paimon's really got her thinking cap on today! At this rate, we'll recover all of Granny Yuandai's memories in no time.
----
;(Approach the northwestern marked area)
: Yuandai: Hmm...
: What about this place? Any memories?
: Yuandai: I don't remember this place at all... I don't think I've ever been here before.
: Yuandai: Still, I was thinking... This place feels perfect for a game of hide-and-seek.
: Paimon: Huh? Why a game of hide-and-seek?
: Yuandai: I'm not sure. Maybe it's because... I used to play that game a lot with Shuyu when she was younger.
: Shuyu: Hmm, I don't remember playing it that much. Are you sure about that, Granny? We only played a few times, and we stopped once we realized I was no good at the whole seeking part.
: Yuandai: Ah, is that so? Then I must be mistaken.
: Paimon: Hmm, not here, then... Let's try somewhere else.
;(Approach the southeastern marked area)
: Paimon: Whoa! Why are there so many Treasure Hoarders here?
: Paimon: Guess it's time to round up some bad guys, !
;(Defeat the Treasure Hoarders)
: Paimon: Do you remember anything about this place, Granny Yuandai?
: Yuandai: Let me think... I feel like I've been here before.
: Yuandai: But I don't think I stayed here too long. I might have just rested here briefly before continuing on my way.
: Paimon: Got it... That's okay, there are still plenty of other places we can check!
;(After the cutscene)
: Yuandai: Wait a second. If I remember correctly... I believe I brought... Ah yes, I brought some sweet snacks with me.
: Yuandai: Go on, take some. You need to eat a lot if you want to grow big and strong...
: Paimon: Whoa, thank you! Then Paimon will help herself!
;(Approach the southwestern marked area)
: Paimon: Paimon sees an abandoned house! Why don't we take a break over there?
: Yuandai: This place... It's...
: Shuyu: Did you remember something, Granny?
: Yuandai: I... I remember. Shuyu... This is where your father was born.
: Yuandai: It was a moonless night. I had been injured, so your Grandpa was supporting me. We fled together, with some being in the fog behind us in hot pursuit...
: Yuandai: I had exhausted my strength when the labor pains came on, so we took refuge in this house. Your Grandpa set up a barrier outside, but neither of us knew if it could hold the monsters back.
:
A Search for Secrets Quest Still 3.png
: Yuandai: I remember that night... I remember falling to my knees, reciting a prayer over and over.
: Yuandai: I alone am the source of this sin. Punish me as you wish for forsaking my oath, but spare my innocent child.
: Paimon: ...Sin? Oath? Did you do something wrong?
: Yuandai: I don't know... I don't remember. I only remember praying in the darkness with all my strength, until the sun finally rose again, and the fog cleared out.
: Yuandai: Eventually, the house was filled with the sound of my baby's first cries. That baby was your father. I remember... I clutched him tight to my chest and wept tears of joy. It was the first time I'd ever felt such happiness in my life.
: Shuyu: My dad...
: Yuandai: He was my pride and joy, and so are you, Shuyu. You're so much like him, and I love you both so much...
: Yuandai: But you're... always going to be different from me. I... Why... Just what did I do?
: Shuyu: I don't care what you might have done, Granny. You'll always be the person I love more than anything.
: Yuandai: You're too sweet, Shuyu. I'm lucky to have you with me... If not for you, I would not have had the courage to come here, to try to remember what I've forgotten.
: Yuandai: Alright, let's not stand around any longer. There's one place left, yes? Let's go take a look.
;(After the cutscene)
: Xianyun: If one recalls correctly, the next place should be Qingyun Peak. Yuandai, how fares your health?
: Yuandai: I may be a bit slow, but I'll do my best to keep up. I'm sorry to keep everyone waiting...
: Xianyun: Climb on. I shall carry you to the top.
: Xianyun: ...Such lightness of weight.
: Yuandai: All those who grow old grow frail in the end, do they not? First, you lose your memory, then your health. Eventually, you end up losing everything.
: Yuandai: My only wish is to depart this world with a lucid mind, to free myself of this torment and the burden it places upon others...
: Xianyun: Fret not. You have my aid in this endeavor.
----
;(Approach the marked location on Qingyun Peak)
: Paimon: Phew, we're finally here!
: Paimon: Does this place feel familiar to you, Granny Yuandai?
: Yuandai: Let me see...
: Yuandai: ...How strange. Have I... lived here before?
: Take it easy.
: Take your time.
: Yuandai: When we were at Wangshu Inn and the abandoned house earlier, though I couldn't remember everything, I still... felt a sense of familiarity. I could easily picture myself in those places...
: Yuandai: But here... I don't have that feeling. Perhaps I did come here in the past, but it just didn't leave a strong impression on me.
: Paimon: But... Did the stories get it wrong, then?
: We can't expect them to get everything right.
: Paimon: Yeah, that's true... But they're also the only thing we have to go off of.
: Paimon: Paimon was hoping this place would jog Granny Yuandai's memory just like the others.
: Yuandai: I'm sorry to disappoint you two.
: Paimon: It's alright! We're not going to give up yet! We'll figure something else out, just you wait!
: Yuandai: Thank you. If only I could remember...
: Yuandai: Huh? That way... What's that mountain?
: Paimon: Ooh, let Paimon look — huh!? Isn't that Mt. Aocang? Looks like we've come full circle!
: Yuandai: Mt. Aocang... Mt. Aocang...
: Shuyu: Granny? Are you okay?
: Shuyu: Don't push yourself, Granny. It's okay if you can't remember... You shouldn't do something that makes you sad...
: Yuandai: Mt. Aocang. I... What am I, really...
: Xianyun: Mt. Aocang holds some familiarity to you?
: Yuandai: It does. But I... I can't go back...
: Xianyun: Are you feeling unwell?
: Yuandai: My head... It feels all heavy and dizzy. Just what is wrong with me?
: Paimon: Cloud... Ms. Xianyun. Is there anything you can do...?
: Xianyun: Let us go to Mt. Aocang.
: Shuyu: ...But—
: Xianyun: Fret not, all will be well. Yuandai, you have already given more than enough to the pursuit of this endeavor.
: Xianyun: You may leave the rest to me. I've prepared something that can aid you in suppressing the fear in your heart and restoring your lost memories. It currently resides at Mt. Aocang.
: Paimon: Wait, really!? When did you do that?
: Xianyun: Hah, I never leave anything to chance. All will reveal itself when we arrive.
==Other Languages==
==Change History==
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