"Of course."

"But you seem to have underestimated the power of 'partners'." Eden slightly curved her lips. "'Partners' are Phainon's most important strength. No one might be able to defeat that black-clad swordsman alone, but if everyone's strength can be gathered... it's not impossible to try."

—

【"What about you, Mydei? What did you see in that trial... and what is your fear?"】

【Mydei didn't answer directly, but corrected his statement: "Firstly, there is no 'fear' in a Suspended Blade's dictionary."】

【Phainon chuckled: "...Is your dictionary empty?"】

【Mydei continued: "Then, I saw Okhema in it. And... my former comrades-in-arms."】

【"Hephaesinus, Perdiccas, Leon, Ptolemy, and Pusetta... Since I returned from the Underworld, those five have always guarded my sides. During the years of exile, they lived and died with me. Those ten years were full of wandering, but also worth remembering. Every night, we would sit around the campfire, drink mead, and sing heartily..."】

【In the memories of the past, stars dotted the sky, and the wind from the wilderness carried the scent of rust. The bonfire crackled, its orange-red flames licking the night sky, making the silhouettes of the six people stretch long and short.】

【"Hephaesinus always joked about me adding goat's milk to mead, saying it made the fresh blood-red color look out of place. He was small in stature, but extremely fierce on the battlefield, killing enemies like chopping hemp."】

【"Perdiccas was proficient in medicine, always coming up with strange folk remedies; Leon was good at running, the most trusted Messenger. Ptolemy always loved to quibble over words. When he left Suspended Blade, he 'borrowed' many ancient books from the library—they were all from my family, so there's no need to return them. As for Pusetta... ha, he didn't like to talk, but he played the zither very well..."】

【Phainon: "These five... This is the first time I've heard their names."】

【"Of course. They died in battle before the Suspended Blade lone army allied with Okhema."】

【"First was Perdiccas. He died in the second cultivating month, shot in the abdomen by a Ladon arrow. His remedies could save everyone, but not himself."】

【Perdiccas fell into his arms, dying: "Mydeimos, do not grieve. I have earned glory, repaying my sworn enemy with a glorious Death..."】

【"Leon died in the fifth winter. Aethelria's blizzard lasted for three full months. On the night of the heaviest snow, the enemy launched an attack."】

【Phainon paused: "Aethelria... is that the city-state Castorice was from?"】

【"Those fanatics, they regarded Death as life, just like the Suspended Blade people, but they lacked reverence for honor."】

—

Genshin Impact.

"One can imagine what a tragic 'expedition' that was."

Witnessing such a heavy scene, the atmosphere in the 'Angel's Share' tavern became somewhat solemn. Varka put down his wine glass and couldn't help but sigh deeply.

"Commander Varka, was your expedition to Nordkalai that brutal?" A knight who remained in Mondstadt proactively came over and asked.

"What are you thinking? Of course not. At least in Nordkalai, we could still drink our homeland's Dandelion Wine and have the chance to send letters to friends and family in Mondstadt."

Varka stroked his chin, seemingly recalling his previous expedition experiences. "...But even so, this expedition, which lasted several years, was by no means easy. But precisely because of this, I can better understand how difficult Mydei's situation was at the time."

"A lone army, without supplies, without personnel replenishment, without any backup, fighting all the way, losing men all the way. This severely tested Commander Mydei's mentality and demanded extremely high psychological resilience from the soldiers. Infiltrating enemy territory, it would not be strange for the entire army to be wiped out."

"But perhaps it's precisely because of this bloody experience that Mydei doesn't want to drag his people back into the embrace of Strife." Venti held his wine glass. "...He has thought it through very clearly; he just needs to make up his mind."

With that, Venti suddenly changed the subject, glancing at the man at the same table: "Also, Varka, if it were you, would you take over the spark of the Titan of Strife?"

Varka was stunned for a moment, pointing to himself: "Me?"

"Mhm."

"Hmm... I would inherit it. After all, it's a moment of life and Death for humanity, and delay would only bring worse results."

Varka tilted his head back and drained the wine in his glass.

"However, my choice might be different from Mydei's. I would take a portion of the elite Suspended Blade soldiers back to Suspended Blade City and resist the Black Tide with me—just as I chose to go on an expedition back then. I always feel that resisting the Black Tide shouldn't just be the work of demigods or Chrysos Heirs; every soldier has an obligation to join this war concerning the survival of humanity."

—

【"They pursued and intercepted us in the Bottomless Swamp. Leon had his legs severed while covering our retreat. He disappeared into the foreign mud, his bones gone."】

【Leon's dying whisper still echoed in Mydei's ears: "How wonderful, Mydeimos... I can finally bring the news of your kingship back to the Underworld..."】

【"On the twentieth dusk after that, we finally counterattacked into Aethelria City and accepted the usurper's plea for peace, but the stubbornly resisting rebels set an ambush in the city... Ptolemy and his cavalry unit were wiped out before they could taste victory. The burning, collapsing forest of obelisks became their tombs."】

【Ptolemy could no longer read his beloved ancient books; his life was a flickering candle in the wind: "Mydeimos, please tell my family: it was not a malicious scheme that defeated me, Ptolemy, but the weight of all Amphoreus's history."】

【"Then came Pusetta. In Erneos City, he lured the enemy deep with his singing, gaining us precious time. The enraged enemy did not hesitate to set a great fire, burning our army and the entire city to ashes... His last words were left on a small, fire-cracked clay tablet."】

【Pusetta: "Mydeimos, wear the crown."】

【"Finally, my most trusted Hephaesinus... He should have witnessed the dust settle with me, but his old illness recurred on the eve of my duel with my father... He concealed his condition, and by the time I returned victorious after slaying my enemy, he had only a breath left."】

【Hephaesinus lay on his sickbed, his face sallow, his tone full of regret: "As a Suspended Blade, to end one's life in bed... it would make people laugh."】

【"Hephaesinus, my dear friend... save your strength, I'll call a physician..."】

【Hephaesinus shook his head calmly: "No need... even if Perdiccas were still here, he couldn't shield me from fate."】

【Tears welled in his eyes, Mydei gritted his teeth: "No one can take away your destiny!"】

【"Mydeimos... our King... do not shed tears, it does not suit your status." Hephaesinus laboriously raised his hand and gently placed it on Mydei's shoulder.】

【"Farewell, my dear friend. You must... lead us home..."】