“...According to you, even if I am able to wake up, these fatal wounds will remain with me and never heal?” Tingyun looked up and scanned her surroundings, her gaze passing over the Legion monsters one by one. “This little one does not understand. You seem to want to save me, benefactor, so why tell me this?”

“It's a habit of mine. I believe everyone should have the right to choose whether to come into this world.” Ruan Mei turned her back.

Tingyun lowered her eyes slightly: “Even if you say so, I cannot remember anything. There seems to be nothing to support me in making a decision.”

“It matters not. I believe the desire for life is born from nothingness. You can also prove yourself to be an exception. That would be an equally pleasing result for me.”

Tingyun looked up at the physical body floating quietly in the life-support pod, her furrowed brows finally relaxing slowly.

“...What a hassle. Life is always like this.”

Ruan Mei said calmly: “Survival and Destruction are no longer choices for you; they grow on the same Path. And only through this Path—can you pierce through the darkness and come to my side.”

In reality, Tingyun, who had been deep in a coma, finally let out a soft hum and slowly opened her eyes.

“Are you feeling more awake now?”

“Congratulations. You have achieved the initial victory in a tug-of-war. This is a good start.”

“I... this is...”

“To put it simply, you were attacked by a Lord Ravager. Normally, it would be impossible for you to survive. But someone thought otherwise, and I happened to be able to meet his requirements.”

Tingyun frowned: “What about the others in the caravan...?”

“I don't know.”

“Why me...?”

“Because you were the most unfortunate, falling into the hands of that Lord Ravager, suffering destruction of both body and mind. But you are also lucky; she wanted to take everything of yours for herself, which takes time, so you were spared from being reduced to ashes in an instant.”

“There is only a fine line between ‘rising from the dead’ and ‘escaping Death,’ yet they are worlds apart. If you had died completely, I would have been powerless.”

Tingyun tried to move her body, but found she had no sensation below her neck.

“My body... feels so strange...”

“My apologies, I cannot allow you to regain sensation just yet. You would be in unbearable pain. This body has been tainted by 【Destruction】 and suffered the most severe damage. As I said, this trauma will always follow you.”

“To prevent a resurgence, I have made some minor optimizations to your body—more accurately, your tail. Learn to adapt to it. The price for survivors is often 【misfortune】; it is unavoidable.”

——

Genshin Impact.

“In other words, if Phantylia hadn't planned to occupy Tingyun back then, Tingyun would have been reduced to ashes instantly.” Zibai's expression was heavy as she looked at Mr. Zhongli, who was quietly drinking tea. “Geo... cough, Mr. Zhongli, do you know more about this Phantylia? What kind of person is she exactly? Could she be even more powerful than 'that one' high in the heavens?”

Zibai had only recently merged and returned, so she was ignorant of many things that had happened on the Celestial Screen, only knowing that what appeared within were scenes from outside the Teyvat continent.

“It is a long story. This Phantylia is a commander under the Aeon of 【Destruction】, Nanook. She is an executor of the will of destruction. They wield the great power of destruction bestowed by the Aeon and can easily annihilate a world.”

A drop of cold sweat slid down Zibai's temple: “The world you speak of... is it like Teyvat?”

“Many civilizations countless times more advanced than our Teyvat have also been destroyed by them.” Zhongli set down his teacup, quietly watching the tender leaves settled at the bottom of the tea. “What is grim is that civilizations in the universe have long observed the existence of our Teyvat. Within that Herta Space Station, a pair of Wind Glider is preserved. They broke through this false sky at some unknown time, yet Ms. Alice was completely unaware...”

Zibai's eyes instantly turned red. She stood up and slammed the table heavily, causing Zhongli's teacup to roll down with a clatter. “If that's the case, if Nanook wanted to destroy our Teyvat, how long would it take? Do we have any room for resistance now?”

Zhongli shook his head gently: “Long ago in ancient times, a massive Swarm Disaster occurred in the universe. The insects of the Aeon of 【The Propagation】 devoured ten thousand worlds and swept across the cosmos. At that time, an Aeon named 【The The Voracity】 confronted 【The Propagation】. Before 【The The Voracity】, those thousands of star systems were nothing more than...”

Zhongli held up an index finger.

Zibai frowned, a bit impatient: “A year? A month? Surely it can't be a day?”

Zhongli shook his head and said: “A single breath.”

Zibai: “?”

“Our Teyvat is but one grain among thousands of stars, no different from other galactic civilizations in the universe. Since 【The The Voracity】 possesses such great power, Nanook, who commands the Path of 【Destruction】, is surely not inferior. To annihilate thousands of stars would likely take but a single thought from Him.”

——

“...In any case, thank you for saving my life.”

“There is no need for thanks; this is merely a transaction.” Ruan Mei smiled and shook her head. “With this, that traveling merchant and I are even.”

“Who?”

“Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep for a while. You will forget these details when you wake up. I will entrust someone to take you back... Speaking of which, there is a group of reliable friends who have quite a history with you. Why not go with them? Hearing more about the past will be good for your recovery.”

At this point, the past events unexpectedly revealed by the Harmonization fell back into slumber and faded away...

“...”

When Vanwyck woke up again, he found everyone gathered around him, looking at him with concern.

“Are you... alright?”

“Did I faint?” Vanwyck rubbed his head, which was still feeling groggy.

It was the first time Sunday had encountered such a thing, and he couldn't help but feel amazed: “The Harmonization actually affected Vanwyck in reverse. That lady is not simple.”

“At this stage, there's no need to hide it from you anymore,” Welt explained. “Miss Tingyun was originally a Xianzhou native. She previously had the misfortune of encountering a Lord Ravager, who stole her identity and left her on the brink of Death. Although she escaped, she was severely injured and, by all logic, should not have recovered.”

“But a variable appeared at that time?”

“Yes, a genius intervened,” Welt nodded. “She has made significant achievements in the field of life sciences and secured a chance at life for Miss Tingyun. Later, the Astral Express was entrusted by her to escort Miss Tingyun back home. Stopping at Penacony along the way was also partly for her to rest and recuperate.”

Fortunately, Vanwyck was fine after this, only feeling a bit thirsty. After reaching the street, the group planned to split into two. Welt would accompany Sunday to complete his homecoming journey, while Stelle and March 7th would accompany Tingyun to meet the Xianzhou envoys.

However, there was still some time before the envoys' arrival, so March 7th and Stelle planned to help Tingyun pick out some local souvenirs first.

Tingyun smiled gracefully: “This little one is unfamiliar with the place and is worried about being tricked by shady merchants. It just so happens that the recipients of the gifts are all Xianzhou friends you are familiar with. I'll have to trouble you two major shareholders to provide more advice.”

March 7th stuck out her tongue: “What merchant could possibly trick you...”