Can a starine call a friend home?

Why is Perfumer Dael standing by the entrance to the Celestis outpost looking anxious? Is there something bothering him?

Traveling Perfumer Dael is very fond of Celestises. After seeing a flash from the outpost about two weeks ago, he rushed over out of concern for them, only to be stopped by the protective barrier. To Dael, the Celestises are practically family.

I really like Celestises. I used to go to the Celestis outpost and play with them all the time when I was young.

Half a month ago, I saw a light here, as if the large starine tree had been struck by lightning. I was worried about those Celestises, so I came rushing over, but couldn’t get inside... and now I’m completely at a loss.

I once tried to trick a Celestis into traveling with me since, you know, they love food and are quite gullible. But in the end, I gave up.

Most of them are happiest staying with their family and friends—even if all they do is eat all day.

But I don’t even speak their language, and that would make traveling with me very boring... The poor creature would end up feeling lonely.

They’re better off here... just living their simple lives.

Dael is a perfumer with a traveler’s heart. He hopes to carry Bloomville’s signature fragrances across the world and share them wherever the road takes him. After his family passed away, he began living on the move. Whenever his travels brought him near the Forest of Falling Stars, he would visit there instead of returning to Bloomville, because to him, the Celestis were the last family he had left. It all began with a simple joke. Once, when Dael was little, he asked his mother where he came from. She brought him to the Celestis outpost and told him she had found him there and carried him home. "So you were a little Celestis," she said. "You only look like this because I brought you back to Bloomville." Young Dael believed every word. From then on, he was always running off to the Celestis outpost to play. He thought of the Celestis as his family, and eventually he could almost understand their language. After growing up, Dael knew it had only been his mother’s little joke. Still, the Celestis at the outpost never stopped feeling special to him. When he is far from home, he misses them. But when he is close by, it is enough simply to know they are safe.

Chrrr... Starry left. Operation Starine Heist is over forever...

...This place is home to all the Celestises. See the large starine tree? As long as it stands, we’ll have endless starines to eat, so calling it stealing isn’t quite right—it’s more like a fun game, because...

We’re super good at hiding things! Chrrr!

But this time, I’m not after normal starines. I want a large starine! Starry loves eating large starines most of all!

But Starry is super smart. It’s the smartest Celestis around! It always finds the sweetest starines, and it even sharpens rocks so it can crack open large starines!

Chrrr! Large starines are really, really tasty, and after eating them, we feel kind of different... Like we got smarter!

One day, we found a giant pink-and-blue starine growing on the large starine tree. It was so pretty! Starry was over the moon!

But the next day, both Starry and that large starine were gone. Maybe the pink-and-blue starine tasted so bad that he left home.

This time, I want to steal large starines so I can use the tasty ones to bring Starry home! Will you help us? You look just as smart as him!

I was focusing on my Aniimo research when a Celestis fell down from the slope over there and bonked me on the head.

What a strange day. I’m a Celestis—and I can fly! How did I just fall from the sky like that?

There’s definitely something strange about that man... I’ll tail him and figure it out!

Normally, they live near starine trees and feed on starines. They love the smell of starines, sleep a lot, eat a lot, and aren’t very smart. However, despite all of this, they evolve into mysterious and wise Stellaryses.

Starines contain a type of magical power that strengthens the willpower of anyone who consumes them! It’s amazing!

However, there is a huge ancient starine tree at the Celestis outpost that is the ancestor of all other starine trees. It is easier for Celestises living near this large starine tree to evolve into Stellaryses. What does that tell you?

Yes. Maybe because the large starine tree is closer to the vein, the power contained in its fruits is purer. Especially those seldom-seen large starines—Celestises find them irresistible.

So, that’s probably why Celestises can evolve simply by doing nothing but eating.

Yes. They undergo major changes after they evolve, from simple-minded, food-obsessed, sleep-loving Celestises into mysterious and wise Stellaryses. Amazing, right?

At first, we thought the evolution of Celestises was a sudden transformation into something similar but different, but Aniimo evolution is more like a process of decomposition and recombination.

Based on our observations, Aniimo exhibit significantly different abilities, personalities, and even memories after evolution. So, there are ongoing divergences within the Aniimo research field.

You submit your "Celestis Family Research" to Sayn, and he walks you through what is known about Celestis evolution. It is linked to the pure spiritual power within the large starine tree, and the process is essentially one of "breakdown and reassembly": abilities, personality, and even memories all change. As a result, scholars still debate whether a Celestis remains the same individual after evolving.

I’m working on my climbing, then I’ll be able to stash starines somewhere super high!

They all keep large starines in their nests, giving off such a sweet, lovely smell. If you fall asleep with that scent around you, you can eat endless starines in your dreams!

large starines grow on the branches of the large starine tree, and they smell so sweet! Too bad you can’t eat them—they’re too tough to bite...

♫ Little Celestis, sweet little starine, I am the blue night sky, you are my twinkling star... ♫

Huh? Oh no, I mistook you for another Celestis. I was so busy looking for starines that I lost my friend somewhere...

Don’t say that! He’s my very best buddy! I saved so many of the tastiest starines just for him!

Don’t worry if you forgot. We’ll find it again eventually. Nothing matters more than eating starines!

My two companions—a Susuta and a Celestis—haven’t been themselves lately. What should I do? Kim says they’re not sick, but they’re just so gloomy. I’m really worried.

It’s faint, but that’s definitely the scent of Starine! You have no idea how tough I’ve got it—Haynes always makes me hang out with that Susuta.

That Susuta has this super salty smell, and it keeps diluting my natural Starine fragrance!

Please help me! If this keeps up, I don’t know what I’ll do with myself!

I-I don’t hate Celestises, but whenever I smell them, I get this feeling like I need to sneeze but can’t. Please help me, fellow Susuta friend.

What? My Celestis and Susuta don’t like being together? I thought they’d be best friends since they’re both so adorable.