Moss's Note 1
After settling in the town, I felt the need to record some things, starting with "me" from the Exaltists.
A month ago, while "I" was still lost in confusion and despair over the Exaltists' collapse, I received a message from Sarah. Fortunately, she had gained the Creator's favor and would proceed with the next phase of the plan in Timesworn Hills.
Over two weeks ago, "I" brought prepared sedatives and Lumite ore, meeting Sarah at Timesworn Hills as instructed. Someone called Yidhari was traveling with her. Next, we assisted Yidhari in beginning the manifestation. During the two-day continuous manifestation, the town appeared. Meanwhile, the Miasma entwined with Yidhari in an unprecedented form. "I" suspected it might be Sarah's power, but quickly dismissed that thought - it was a will transcending human comprehension, coming from the Master of Miasma. That will, mixed within the Miasma, subtly guided everything.

Moss's Note 2
Sarah left, and "I" had nowhere to go - unable to reach the audience grounds, too ashamed to return to Waifei Peninsula, only able to wander the Hollow. That's when I appeared. I brought "me" back to town.
Initially, my skin was dull, with indelible cracks on my face, but as time passed, I grew more and more similar to "me". Finally, when that shell wearing the Exaltist garb cocooned, I too acquired a flawless appearance.
Surprisingly, I wasn't the first resident. Some people had already settled in town, having transformed gradually like us. From them, we learned they weren't the first visitors either - they entered only after a terrifying Ethereal and a cloaked monster, known as the Lantern Bearer and Wandering Hunter, had left.
Soon, we saw the Lantern Bearer again. To our surprise, she removed her hood, revealing a child who called herself Lucia. Not only did she arrive before us, but far, far earlier. More surprisingly, she was created by the Wandering Hunter's will. How could this be? Did she skip the cocooning process? Is her true form an Ethereal?
Could it be that even if "we" in the cocoons become Ethereals, we here could continue to exist? I wanted to experiment to find out, but didn't dare take the risk.

Moss's Note 3
I conducted the experiment anyway. With one resident's consent, I cut open their cocoon. Soon, the body inside became an Ethereal, and the resident didn't vanish, proving both could exist simultaneously! However...
The unbreakable coexistence like Lucia and the Wandering Hunter didn't manifest. The Ethereal launched frenzied attacks against us, even trying to destroy other cocoons. We had to eliminate the Ethereal, and with that, the resident vanished forever...
I will remember their sacrifice for this experiment. This must be kept secret from most residents - they don't need to know this panic-inducing outcome. They only need to know the cocoons will be protected forever, that they are our blessing to avoid becoming Ethereals. They should just keep living according to their dreams, repaying this blessing.

Moss's Note 4
I met Manato and his companions, and on a whim, I gave everyone in the town a name - "drowned ideal". To shake up those three people and accelerate the creation of drowned ideals, I concealed some details, like the Wandering Hunter and the cocoon. However, (‍WiseWise Tooltip for WiseⓘText for Wise / BelleBelle Tooltip for BelleⓘText for Belle‍) seemed unmoved, and (‍hishisText for Wise / herherText for Belle‍) thoughts remained inscrutable.
There's something else worth mentioning - I saw another Lucia, an adult Lucia! Before that, I always thought the Wandering Hunter was little Lucia's true form. But it seems it's not that simple. If the Lucia who came to town is the real deal, then who exactly is the Wandering Hunter?

Moss's Note 5
When Lu... little Lucia came to town again, I asked her in detail about the Wandering Hunter. This made me change my definition of "drowned ideal" and finally helped me piece together the chronological order of their appearances.
From the first drowned ideal to the latest one, here's the sequence:
8 years ago, little Lucia's father was corrupted in the depths of Timesworn Hills, creating little Lucia. Soon after, he became an Ethereal, but they didn't reject each other - instead, they formed a unique symbiotic relationship. They stayed in the Hollow for 8 years, and little Lucia called it "hide and seek."
2 weeks ago, Yidhari arrived here. Originally, she was just recreating the past town, but when she fell into a slumber, influenced by the will within the Miasma, she unconsciously attached her "wish" to the town, turning it into her drowned ideal.
12 days ago, the first group of trapped miners arrived in town and became drowned ideals. Some had rather strange specialties... who dreams of becoming a street thug...
11 days ago, I arrived in town.
10 days ago, a group of Hollow Raiders arrived.
More people kept coming after that. I welcomed them all and helped them complete their transformation to the best of my ability.
Yesterday, Pal and West arrived in town. I must say, they cocooned the fastest - barely needing any external factors, their conflicts and pressure were enough to cause severe corruption. Shortly after they cocooned, I met Manato.
Among these drowned ideals, the first two contradict my definition of "dream self," but after consideration, I still choose to classify them as drowned ideals.
Lucia's father and Yidhari share something in common - when their drowned ideals emerged, they both harbored the emotion of "it doesn't matter what I become anymore." The Miasma tried to create but couldn't find matching forms in their hearts — their dreams had no future selves.
Lucia's father only had his obsession with his daughter left, and Yidhari... ah, she was even more noble - she just wanted to watch others' stories forever.
Their dreams are selfless, and certainly belong to this town. But such cases should be avoided in the future - the town needs real residents, and my duty is to give everyone who comes here a selfish dream.

Moss's Note 6
Ah, I heard that voice again, the town's whisper. Yidhari's voice echoes in my mind, "embrace your true desire." Yes, I will open my arms and embrace this desire with all my might. Even though I'm no longer an Exaltist believer, I know that voice isn't Yidhari's will.
Is it you, Creator?