How to Solve "Investigate the Shrubbery on the Stone Wall" in Genshin Impact

Are you stuck on the "Investigate the shrubbery on the stone wall" puzzle during Ayaka‘s story quest in Genshin Impact? Also known as the Conspicuous Stone Wall, this puzzle can be tricky to solve if you don‘t carefully follow the cryptic hints provided.

In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll learn exactly how to solve the stone wall puzzle, along with tips and insights into the broader lore and story significance.

Overview of the Puzzle

The "Investigate the shrubbery on the stone wall" puzzle occurs during the "Lasting Promise" portion of Ayaka‘s Story Quest in Genshin Impact.

After speaking with Ayaka at the Kamisato Estate, you need to make your way to the Mystic Cave to continue the quest. Here, you will come across a conspicuous stone wall covered in shrubbery and blue rocks.

Interacting with the wall prompts you to "knock" on it in a certain order to make the wall collapse. This allows access into the cave to investigate a mysterious box that furthers the quest.

However, the order in which you must knock is not immediately obvious. This is where reading the hints in Ayaka‘s notebook comes in.

Deciphering the Hints in Ayaka‘s Notebook

When you first find the stone wall, Ayaka will pull out a notebook with some cryptic phrases that hint at the knocking order:

"A crane brings 1 fresh flower in its beak to decorate my hair, while a white rabbit sews a hemline from 4 rays of moonlight"

"Dressed appropriately, I face eastward and call out Tsubaki‘s name 7 times. In the blink of an eye, I am standing on the path that leads to her house"

At first glance, these metaphors seem nonsensical. But upon closer inspection, they directly tell you to knock 1 time, 4 times, and 7 times on the stone wall.

The "1 fresh flower" refers to knocking once. The "4 rays of moonlight" means knocking four times. And "calling Tsubaki‘s name 7 times" hints to knock seven times.

So in summary, the hints tell you to:

Knock once
Knock four times
Knock seven times

If you follow these steps in the correct order, the stone wall puzzle will be solved!

Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Follow this walkthrough to successfully investigate the shrubbery on the stone wall:

Finding the Conspicuous Stone Wall

First, navigate to the Mystic Cave in Genshin Impact during Ayaka‘s Story Quest. The conspicuous stone wall is located near the cave entrance, surrounded by blue-colored plants and rocks.

When you find it, walk up and you‘ll see the "Investigate" prompt.

Knock Once

Interact with the wall and choose the "Knock Once" option.

This corresponds to the "1 fresh flower" hint in Ayaka‘s notebook.

Knock Four Times

After knocking once, you‘ll be given three more options. Choose the "Knock Four Times" option.

This connects to the "4 rays of moonlight" hint in the notebook.

Knock Seven Times

Finally, select the "Knock Seven Times" option after knocking four times.

This matches the notebook‘s hint about "calling Tsubaki‘s name 7 times."

Solving the Puzzle

When you‘ve knocked in the proper 1-4-7 sequence, the conspicuous stone wall will collapse, allowing you to enter the cave.

Inside, you‘ll find a mysterious box to investigate, which will trigger a cutscene and progress Ayaka‘s Story Quest.

What to Do If You Mess Up

If you accidentally knock the wrong number of times, the stone wall puzzle will reset. The wall repairs itself and you have to start over.

When this happens, carefully re-read Ayaka‘s notebook hints and try again. You may need to use trial and error to figure out the right sequence.

As long as you knock 1 time, then 4 times, and finally 7 times, in that exact order, you will solve the puzzle.

Story Significance and Lore

While seemingly just a brain teaser, the conspicuous stone wall puzzle actually holds deeper lore connections in Genshin Impact.

The metaphors in Ayaka‘s notebook reference Tsubaki, who was a childhood friend of hers that disappeared mysteriously. Solving the puzzle helps lead Ayaka closer to understanding what happened to Tsubaki.

The stone wall itself likely has additional meaning related to warding away evil spirits and protecting the shine – knocking correctly "unlocks" this protection.

Overall, the puzzle represents an interesting blend of mythology, history, and memory in Inazuma. Paying attention to small details like this enhances the story experience.

Tips and Strategies

Here are some additional tips to keep in mind for the conspicuous stone wall:

Read Ayaka‘s notebook carefully to decipher the clues. The hints are intentionally cryptic but contain the solution.
Write down the knocking order (1 time, then 4 times, then 7 times) if you need to remember it.
Be prepared to restart if you knock incorrectly. Repeating the hints helps get the order right.
Trying different knocking combinations through trial and error can also lead to solving the puzzle.
Look around for visual clues near the stone wall for any additional hints.

Other Similar Puzzles in Genshin Impact

Genshin Impact contains several puzzle quests that operate on a "knock in the right order" basis similar to the conspicuous stone wall:

The Chi of Guyun quest has you knocking slag deposits in sequence to unlock a ruin entrance.
The Serpent‘s Heart quest in Inazuma also involves knocking on a wall based on contextual clues.
Thunder Sakura Cleansing Ritual requires finding and striking five Thunder Wardstone Keys in order.
Some overworld puzzles also have you striking elemental monuments in a certain order to produce effects.

The key in all these puzzles is paying attention to the clues provided and trying different combinations until solving them. A bit of trial and error is perfectly normal!

Conclusion

The "Investigate the shrubbery on the stone wall" puzzle in Genshin Impact can seem intimidating at first, but is quite simple once you decipher the hints. Knocking 1 time, 4 times, and 7 times on the conspicuous wall in that exact sequence will collapse it and allow access to the next part of Ayaka‘s Story Quest.

With the cryptic metaphors decoded and following the step-by-step walkthrough, you should have no issues progressing. Just remember patience and thorough observation are key! Let us know if this guide helped explain the puzzle and its meaning.