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

Reposting the bounty

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Chapter 137 Perhaps He Really Is Still Alive

Lead-colored clouds rolled across the edge of the wasteland, above which hung a deathly gray sky. The sun shone with an iron-blue hue, its cold rays spreading across the land of Kanria, a kingdom on the verge of destruction.

The abyss's gaze, the judgment of the seven gods, and the curses that surged from the earth twisted the people into monsters, mindless creatures that roamed aimlessly across the fields.

The traveler wanders through this land on the verge of destruction, searching for something.

Since waking up, Ying has been searching for her travel companion.

—That unreasonable bastard who handed me a copy of "The Traveler's Guide to Teyvat," irresponsibly demanded that I continue on my way, and then left on his own.

She knew that the guy came from Kyria, and during the years she traveled with him, his gaze was always fixed on his homeland.

Whenever the topic of that person's hometown came up, he would always have a gentle smile on his lips and tell Ying that he must visit Kyria if he had the chance in the future.

It was a beautiful place.

So Ying came to Karelia, but Karelia was not beautiful. When she arrived, she was greeted by a gloomy sky and a red earth. Karelia had been plunged into war.

Approaching destruction.

From the moment Kyria attempted to touch the forbidden and was met with the gaze of the abyss, its destruction was already destined.

Ying called out the person's name, turning over every piece of rubble and ruins, searching relentlessly, almost obsessively, for one day, two days... until blood seeped from under her fingernails and her voice became hoarse. In the end, Ying did not find the person.

Monsters from the abyss blocked her way, and Ying killed them one by one, advancing relentlessly towards the deepest part.

Because she knew that the man loved his homeland dearly, and that he would surely return when Kyria was destroyed several times.

So she searched persistently.

What she didn't know was that the guy had died more than ten years ago.

The wanderer ultimately failed to return to the hometown he had longed for.

Ying was very tired.

'We made a promise...' she murmured softly, 'We made a promise to travel together.'

She finally reached the deepest part.

She was covered in wounds, and her face was stained with blood.

Ying, clutching the thick travel guide, raised her eyes and gazed at the deity in the sky. The being on the Sky Island was shrouded in light, with pure white hair scattered in the air.

The survivor of reason lowered her eyes and stared at Ying. After a long while, she raised her finger to Ying, and a chain made of reason pierced the latter's chest, nailing her to the decaying earth.

"I found...you." Ying's eyes gradually dimmed, and she murmured softly, as if talking to someone else.

-

This was the second time Qingnuoyan had woken up from a dream.

He touched the corner of his eye for no apparent reason and found it was a little wet. He straightened up from the tatami and felt his chest heaving violently, as if he was still shaken and had not calmed down for a long time.

A strange dream.

After returning from that space of consciousness, he began to have these strange dreams.

Qing Nuoyan subconsciously looked to the other side of Tatami. Miss Ying was lying unharmed beside him, breathing steadily. He could feel her fresh and warm breath, with a faint fragrance.

Qing Nuoyan inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

It was just a dream.

She was really asleep this time... Qing Nuoyan patted the latter's cheek, and Ying made a gurgling sound and turned over.

Ying is really tired.

No matter what I do, I can't wake him up.

After returning from the castle tower, she stayed by Qingnuoyan's window like a cat guarding its own kitten, until the latter returned from the consciousness space. Only then did she feel relieved and fall into a deep sleep.

Qing Nuoyan gently got out of bed, pushed open the door and went out. The twilight had already fallen, and the sky was gradually revealing the colors of night, with only a few faint rays of the setting sun still lingering on the horizon.

The first thing I saw when I pushed open the door.

—It's like the country collapsing and they're digging up his grave.

"..." Qing Nuoyan remained expressionless.

He was already furious.

You little brat, you're not even human!

Why didn't you invite me to do something as important as digging up a grave? Are you trying to keep all the gold coins that drop from the grave for yourself?

Qing Nuoyan's lips twitched slightly. He looked away, trying not to see the scoundrel's despicable behavior, and walked straight to the end of the corridor.

Tomorrow is the final duel before the emperor.

We need to find a way to get Balzeb out of his sanctuary of pure intentions.

Qing Nuoyan thought to himself.

This is not just because of the party at the Divine Cherry Tree, but more importantly, because Inazuma currently needs a true monarch.

The country was plagued by chaotic management, and its isolationist policies and eye-hunting orders were particularly cruel.

Even if we drive away the Fools, what good will it do?

If the chaotic political management of Inazuma is not resolved, sooner or later there will be another group of fools.

The regime continued its tyrannical rule, and the seclusion and hunting orders made the people suffer immensely—this was what Kiyono-an witnessed firsthand during his six months in Inazuma.

But he didn't have any good solutions.

To put it bluntly, he knew nothing about Lord Narukami; the current Qingnuoyan was just an outsider.

Moreover, he couldn't reach Balzeb's location either. Last time, he had only accidentally reached the boundary of Balzeb's consciousness, and he himself didn't know how he had done it.

His only special skill is cooking.

Milk dumplings...?

But he just couldn't make this dessert right.

Thinking about it carefully, how did he learn to make 'fox udon'?

It was just that in the right place and at the right time, he naturally remembered it, and right there in that tofu shop, he naturally knew how to make it.

Perhaps, time and place are the most important seasonings.

He borrowed the local shops of the Pillar State Mansion.

This quaint house has a long corridor, at the end of which is a traditional Japanese-style courtyard.

Think back carefully, what were his feelings when he made this dessert?

The leisurely autumn light casts shadows of pine and cypress trees everywhere, and the hazy sunset melts into the edges of the window frame, leaving only a faint layer of golden light.

The neighborhood of the Pillar State Mansion was kept very clean. Hundreds of years ago, Qingye Leiming cooked here, just like he did in the tofu shop, kneading dough to make that dessert for his monarch.

You need milk and dumplings, but who likes milk and who likes dumplings? Why mix them together...?

And who taught him how to make milk dumplings?

Qing Nuoyan was lost in thought, seemingly recalling something vague—countless spring days when the early cherry blossoms were as beautiful as a painting.

Unbeknownst to him, the seed of the Divine Cherry Tree in his bosom emitted a faint glow, conveying something. He heard a voice from the distant past, but when he tried to find it, he found nothing.

Those days that have become blurred.

How do you make milk dumplings...?

'It's burnt, Shadow won't like it.'

It's too greasy.

'Sweet and cloying'

'This is an order from Narukami, open your mouth—ah.'

"Let's call it Milk Dumplings. Ying likes milk, and I love green rice dumplings, so both milk and green rice dumplings will be there."

I don't know how much time has passed.

Qing Nuoyan blinked, and it took him a while to come back to his senses. He lowered his eyes and was slightly surprised to find that the pastries were ready and placed in the steamer, emitting a faint fragrance.

He saw more: the scorched earth corrupted by filth, the destruction of Kanria, and that blood-stained figure falling like scattered cherry blossoms, brief yet beautiful.

Qing Nuoyan wanted to help her, or rather, save her, but with nearly five hundred years separating them, he was powerless to do so.

He saw the demon girl die tragically in the forest, saw the Great Tengu pierced through the body by some being, and saw the filth completely corrupt Inazuma.

Raiden is dead, Mikoto Chiyo is dead, Shizuku Yuri is dead... Countless people are dying.

Countless people and countless lives perished in the filthy tide, while Shenying Island was completely empty. The Shenying Tree that once covered the entire sky was no longer there, and the rampant filth could not be purified, lingering there day and night.

Inazuma is nearly destroyed.

All are dead.

Qing Nuoyan slowly exhaled.

This is the original timeline.

The Real Past

Suddenly, a voice rang in my ears, and Renli said calmly.

The original timeline...?

Qing Nuoyan was taken aback.

In the true past, the Divine Cherry Tree did not exist. The filth of Inazuma could not be purified. When it accumulated to its limit, it was even more terrifying than the karma of the Liyue Lava Abyss.

In the original timeline, everyone would have died.

Why doesn't the Divine Cherry Tree exist?

According to Inatsume, the sacred cherry tree has been there from the very beginning.