Under the faint morning light, Albert woke up slowly, clutching his head. Shaking it to clear his thoughts, he looked ahead and was immediately startled. Before him stood the person he dreamed of day and night, Barbara, seemingly cheering and worrying for him with her clasped hands.
"Miss Barbara!!!"
Albert bolted upright, his excitement overflowing as he shouted, "Miss Barbara, don't worry! I will climb the snow mountain and take you away from here..."
"Who are you?!"
As his blurry vision cleared, Albert realized the figure before him was not Barbara but a young woman in mage-like attire. Confused, he asked, "Where is Miss Barbara? I just saw her cheering for me and worrying about me!"
"Please wake up, sir. You've come out of the dream now," Mona said, waving her hand in front of his face. "Can you tell me what you saw in the dream?"
"A dream?" Albert muttered. He glanced around at the still-sleeping people nearby and began piecing together his memories.
"Oh! Now I remember!"
Looking around once more for Barbara's figure, Albert's face fell when he didn't see her. With a sigh, he recounted his experience.
"Early this morning, before dawn, I grabbed a broom and headed to the Favonius Cathedral. I wanted to clean it while no one was around to ease Miss Barbara's workload," he explained, his expression turning defensive. "Of course, I had no intention of sneaking a peek at her!"
"When I arrived, I saw Miss Barbara and the nuns preparing to leave. I hid to avoid being spotted and overheard them discussing the falling meteors."
"For Miss Barbara's sake, I couldn't just stand by! So, I secretly followed them here. My last memory is trying to pick up a meteor fragment, and suddenly, I found myself on a snowy mountain."
Albert's voice grew more animated, his hands clutching his shoulders in delight. "There, I met Miss Barbara! We climbed the mountain together. She cheered for me and worried about me. I was the happiest I've ever been!"
"Stop, stop, STOP!" Mona interrupted, exasperated. "Thank you, Mr. Stalker, for your... helpful insights. Miss Barbara truly has it tough."
Turning to the group, Mona summoned a glowing blue astrological array. "The critical details are clear: a towering snow mountain and an overwhelming desire to reach the summit, even strong enough to drag Mr. Stalker into a shared dream."
"Such intense aspirations could only belong to an adventurer." Mona smirked confidently, pointing at the meteor fragment. "With this information, the identity of the constellation's owner is no longer a mystery."
She tapped the shimmering water screen, which reflected details of the constellation's origin. "The owner's name was Leonard, a renowned adventurer of Mondstadt."
"If we find more information about him, I can divine the location of his constellation's core," Mona continued. "To resolve this calamity and uncover the mastermind behind it, locating Leonard's constellation core is essential."
"Leonard?" Hiroshi murmured, stroking his chin as he gazed at the rising sun. "If he was a famous adventurer, Mondstadt's library might have records about him."
"Mona, stay here for now. I'll go ask Lisa."
In the underground library of Mondstadt, Lisa froze mid-search as Hiroshi appeared. She turned to him with a sly smile.
"Hiroshi, dear, you're here early. Are you trying to book my time for a date today?"
"Thanks, but you know you're not my type, Lisa," Hiroshi quipped before turning serious. "Do you have any information about an adventurer named Leonard? He was a famous figure from 2,000 years ago."
Lisa's eyes twinkled mischievously as she beckoned Hiroshi to follow her to a northwest bookshelf. "Leonard, Leonard... ah, here it is." She handed Hiroshi a book titled Mountains and Seas: An Adventurer's Guide by Leonard.
"The text is incomplete, though," Lisa warned. "I hope it's enough for your needs."
"It will do," Hiroshi replied with a smile. "Thanks, Lisa."
Watching him vanish, Lisa stretched and muttered, "Looks like things are wrapping up. Time for some tea and a well-deserved break."
Back at the Windrise camp, Hiroshi returned with the book in hand. He handed it to Mona and turned to find Lumine and Fischl looking utterly drained.
"What happened to you two?" Hiroshi asked, puzzled.
Lumine, slumped against a chair, groaned, "Oh, it's you, Hiroshi," before lapsing back into silence. Paimon hovered nearby, half-asleep.
Fischl puffed her cheeks indignantly. "My friend and I, guided by the Eye of Judgement, ventured to investigate the origins of the dark curse. Lumine, brave and resolute, chose to bear the curse herself to uncover its source."
"After our arduous journey and my protection, we finally obtained the curse's information. Yet, upon our return, we discovered our efforts were futile."
"Uh..." Hiroshi hesitated before offering an awkward smile. "Good work, Amy. And Lumine, too."