Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

I'm sorry, my friend, I really wish... I could have another drink with you.

That's all.

The letter was short and the handwriting was distorted, because the shrine had already been corrupted by then.

Gan Yu put down the letter and finally noticed the food box on the table, and the bowl inside... Jade Pearl White Jade Soup.

But she returned too late; the Jade Pearl White Jade Soup had already gone cold.

Food is the taste of memories, but food that has gone cold has lost its original flavor. Memories are dead, and she can no longer distinguish the taste of death.

—Just as she realized it too late, so late that the person waiting for her had already left, so late that no one would ever wait for her again.

She opened the food box; the cold tofu would never again emit its familiar fragrance. She swallowed the vegetables, but could no longer taste anything. She lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, and she murmured softly:

"It's so cold... really..."

"It's so cold."

She wasn't late this time; she was late every single time.

When she could no longer taste the flavor she once knew, she gazed at the clear soup and noticed ripples spreading across its calm surface.

what...

She finally understood.

Those were her tears.

Only regret remains.

She lowered her head.

People often say a romantic line, "I'll wait for you until the sea dries up and the rocks crumble," but if the ocean dries up, if the rock completely crumbles, if you really wait until the sea dries up and the rocks crumble, if you wait for 2,400 years, then the rock will no longer wait for you.

Tears dripped into the soup, a smile spread across the face, adding a bitter, salty taste to this taste of death, leaving only regret.

In the dead of night as dusk fades.

It was already getting dark.

The stone—Qingnuo Rock—finally returned to the little wooden house.

The firelight in that small wooden house melted a tiny hole in the darkness.

The cabin was still lit, the lamp was still on, and someone was still waiting for him.

"I'm back," Qing Nuoyan said softly, pushing open the wooden door.

-

P.S.: Phew, another 2.5 chapters!

Chapter 112 Thank You for Crying for Me

"The beginning reversed destruction, and the Sky Isles burned the Earth Kingdom. Chalk chased after Gold, and the Crimson Moon avenged the Black Sun. The Future saved the Past, and the Elders and the Young fought each other with blood."

"This is the cyclical fate of the world. Dain, what does that strand of golden hair mean to you? Someone who must be killed, or an object of repentance?"

Kanria, wielding the Sword of Endlight, walks across the desolate and cold land.

He hung his head, his body shrouded in heavy curses and deep-seated wear and tear—a calamity stemming from decades of his transgression, his transgression against the laws of nature.

He stopped and turned around. His homeland lay behind him, prosperous and splendid, but he knew that because of the sages' overstepping of their bounds, they had slowly touched upon the taboos of the world. Perhaps... decades later, divine punishment would descend upon this homeland he loved.

This is a country destined for destruction.

They are on the wrong path, and what's worse, they can't turn back.

He needs to find a solution.

He still has time.

He can still catch up.

He won't let that happen.

The Ice Queen offered him a 'recruitment' offer. The queen seemed to be turning into a usurper organization called the 'Fouls,' and she invited him to become the first seat of the Fools... to become the first Fool.

In truth, the Queen was very gentle; she loved the world. It was precisely because of her gentleness that she was more ruthless than anyone else—he knew this.

But Kanria has not yet fallen; he is still Kanria's sword.

That's not his path; perhaps... his friend... Pierre, the court mage of Kanria, is more suitable.

He walked through the desolate wilderness, paused, and suddenly coughed violently, as if his entire lungs were being strained. He bent over in pain, countless echoes piled up in his ears, further aggravating the wear and tear—it was the punishment that Heaven was giving him.

Punish him for his past overstepping of boundaries.

He still remembers that golden hair, and that journey—one of the few bright days in the Ender Blade's centuries-long life. They went to many places, met many people, and experienced many things. He told her to keep moving forward because Teyvat is beautiful.

His travel companions were banished by divine justice, and he defied divine justice—it was that simple...

But he doesn't regret it—Dains Reeb never regrets it.

Looking back now, the Queen's invitation to him... may have been precisely because she valued his overstepping of bounds.

Perhaps... the Queen can save us.

Perhaps he should go to winter.

He was on his way to find a way to save Kanria, but sadly, he died before his homeland was destroyed.

Forty-three years later, Kanria was destroyed, and the Queen of Winterland established the Fools. Her friend Pierre became the first seat of the Fools, codenamed 'The Clown'. From then on, Winterland raised the banner of rebellion against the beings on Sky Isle.

"I'm sorry to have burdened you with the sorrow of the entire world. Since you can endure my bitter cold, you must all have burning desires in your hearts, right? Then, burn down the old world for me."

All these stories have been lost to the dust of history, and no one can remember them anymore.

The last glimmer of light from the Sword of Endless Light has been extinguished, and no one remembers his name anymore.

------

It's raining.

Spring paints the background, and light rain adds ink. In late spring, the light rain taps on the eaves of the bamboo house, and the sound of the bamboo tubes echoes, producing a clear and melodious sound. The ink-like spring rain paints the scene of summer approaching. In the distance, there is a deep ink-colored sky and a deep blue sea. Apart from these, there is nothing else.

It's a very distant memory, so distant that it's become blurry.

Dusk has ended.

Back in Mondstadt, it seems that Ying also waited for someone in this way.

She meticulously learned the art of grilling fish and mastered the skill of slaying dragons, but before she could show off her skills, the dragon flapped its wings and flew away.

Ying propped his cheek on his hand, staring blankly at the drizzling rain outside the wooden window. Suddenly, he remembered an even more distant story, an even more distant encounter, far beyond Mondstadt... It was his first meeting with that guy.

Due to wear and tear, her memories of the past are also blurry... or rather, if it weren't for the 'Humanity System' helping her recall things last time, she would still not know about that past.

Many things have faded from memory. Ying only remembers that guy's long, brilliant golden hair... only remembers that guy tricking her into going on a trip, only remembers that guy shoving a thick book into her arms, only remembers that guy telling her, 'You must walk this path in his place.'

The book, titled "Travels to Teyvat," still lies quietly on Ying's lap. Due to the wear and tear of time, some of the words are blurred, and the paper has yellowed.

This book is both Ying's travel guide and her diary, recording her various experiences during her travels. Turning the pages from beginning to end, it starts with Mondstadt, from the shores of Lake Starfall to the sunset at Cape Oathguard, from the vast snow-capped Dragonspine Mountains to the rolling plains of the Dawn Winery, and after passing Mondstadt, it continues to the next page.

That is Liyue Harbor.

Mount Ozang, the salt flats, the deep abyss... Having visited the world's highest mountain and the world's deepest abyss, her journey seems to have been without regrets.

I've been to many places... but what's the point?

It's been a whole month.

He hasn't returned yet... but Ying still waits stubbornly, lighting the stove to cook every evening when the sun sets over the plains and the light is thin, until the food gets cold, until the night is deep... She looks out the window expectantly, until the morning stars fade and the sun rises.

She received nothing in return.

He is dead.

"Ying, Nuoyan..." A broken voice suddenly came from below, "When... will... you come back?"

The moonlight outside the window was even more mottled under the hazy drizzle. Ying withdrew her gaze and lowered her head.

The little zombie Qiqi stretched out her tiny hands, stood on tiptoe, and tilted her head: "Qiqi...Qiqi, has...finished learning the first lesson of Seven-Colored Sunshine..."

"It's time to learn...the second lesson." Qi Qi's voice was low, and she seemed very aggrieved. "But Qi Qi...has no one to teach her."

Seven-colored sunlight... Ying was stunned.

After a while, she finally remembered what that thing was.

It was Qing Nuoyan who was bluffing about some kind of 'immortal technique,' which was actually just a kind of gymnastics. Qi Qi was a zombie with stiff joints and needed to do exercises to keep her body flexible. They went to Liyue Square early in the morning to do morning exercises, while Ying sat quietly by the chair watching them.

That period was very short.

But it's also something I miss.

"That old zongzi is just a liar."

Paimon sat on the edge of the bed, fuming. She patted her belly in annoyance and lowered her head. "They must be jealous of my talent, Paimon's talent is so terrifying, that they refused to pass on their immortal skills to me and instead ran away with their divine power."

"That's definitely it." She huffed angrily. "Everyone, let's not wait for him! Let's eat!"

She said this innocently, but Ying noticed that Paimon was gently clutching the hem of her clothes.

Paimon actually knows everything, but she won't say it. She's putting on this strange and funny act to reassure everyone and get them to eat properly.

But the food had already gone cold.

Simple home-style dishes: smoked mozzarella, tofu soup, and salted sardines... Qing Nuoyan said he likes to eat sardines.

Yinghui's cuisine has become more and more diverse, and her "dragon-slaying skills" have also become more and more abundant.

But by the time she killed the dragon, the food had already gone cold.

'And he will never come back.'

It was like this before, and it is like this now... The ending can never be changed.

We clearly made an agreement; we clearly promised to do so.

Nevertheless, she continued to wait.

Ying suddenly lowered her head, still clutching that fragment in her hand—a fragment from Qingnuoyan's heart. The previous seven fragments were all born from Fushe's past agreement, but the one in her hand was Qingnuoyan's agreement for this life, representing his 'present'.

Her shoulders trembled slightly.