Genshin Impact: I, the Winter Prince, reign supreme.

At this moment, Su Yu's broad hand landed on Rosalin's shoulder.

With a slight thought, Su Yu unleashed a torrent of ice divine power, extinguishing the raging flames on her body and bringing her back to her senses.

“Open it and see, Rosalyn. We’re all curious to know what Rustan left for you.”

Rosalyn's eyes were filled with tears, and she radiated endless sorrow.

The traveler standing to the side whispered to Paimon, "Be careful, the flame within her is special, born from the fusion of extreme emotions and fire element."

"I know. It sounds like this Winter Solstice Executive has a very tragic history."

Paimon responded.

Lisa sighed deeply, "Neither Qin nor I are a match for the Lady, yet Prince Winter suppressed the Lady's impending fiery power in an instant. Is this the difference in power...?"

Rosalyn fought back her tears and slowly opened the storage box.

What comes into view is a purple iris, which, protected by a cluster of elements, still exudes a faint fragrance.

However, bloodstains can still be seen on one of the petals, perhaps from a flower Rustan picked from nearby in his last moments.

In Teyvat mythology, the iris is a flower that blooms on the road to heaven; it is delicate and beautiful, and its flower language is desperate love.

Rosalyn held the irises in her hands, which trembled with grief.

After joining the Fools, she deliberately forgot about Rustan.

To move forward, we must burn away everything from the past.

Upon seeing the purple flowers, she finally recalled all the moments she had shared with her lover...

But she hesitated, lost in thought.

Because of her lover's death, she fell into darkness in despair, thereby gaining a powerful force that ordinary people could not attain.

If one attempts to redeem oneself by recalling the past and forgive those hatreds, it is possible to lose the power of the Flame Witch.

“Rosalyn, you know that what you should never succumb to is all the suffering in this world. Only through being scarred can one be reborn and stand tall; only by being on the verge of death can one understand the meaning of light.”

"There's no need to please the darkness; the real you is the one who was once small, strong, and radiant."

Su Yu left with Lisa and the traveler.

His cold words echoed in the dark basement.

“Rosalind, if you cannot understand all this, I will personally suggest to Her Majesty the Queen that a new executor of the Fools be added to replace you.”

Chapter 44 The Meaning of Partners

“Prince Zhidong seemed really stern just now; he didn’t seem to be joking at all. If that executor codenamed ‘Lady’ can’t figure this out, she’ll probably be replaced.”

Outside the basement, Paimon whispered to the traveler.

The traveler replied, "Although it's a bit harsh, it's all for Ms. Rosalind's good."

"Hey, you two, stop talking about other people in front of His Highness the Prince."

Lisa reminded the two of them.

I'm sorry.

Paimon quickly apologized.

Su Yu smiled and said, "It's alright. Although the eleven executives are all my colleagues, I will correct the problems they have one by one. You said I was strict just now... This has always been my style. I am stricter with my own people than with outsiders."

Lisa said admiringly, "The rise of Winterhold is not without reason. Your Highness, has the Fools considered adding a twelfth Executive Officer? Tired of the unchanging Mondstadt, the experience of Winterhold might be more refreshing."

In response to Lisa's joking remark, Su Yu replied seriously, "Every executor of the Fools has an experience that is unknown to outsiders."

"The reasons they joined Winter were either because they had experienced darkness, tragedy, extreme anger, or utter despair, or for personal gain or profit. But no one ever took the position of executive officer with the attitude of wanting to experience life."

“Miss Lisa, you still don’t understand us enough. Otherwise, you should know that if there were any better options, no one would be willing to take on the position of executive officer. Even the title and power of the ‘Prince of Winter’ would not be coveted or fantasized about if people knew my story.”

Lisa realized that her words were inappropriate and finally said, "I apologize for what I just said. Every executive officer in the Winter Kingdom is unique, and it is difficult for anyone to replace them."

As she spent more time with Prince Zhidong, she found the man before her to be unfathomable and worthy of respect.

After finishing her business at the library, Lisa prepared to say goodbye to Su Yu.

But Su Yu did something that she found completely baffling.

A blur flashed by, and Su Yu grabbed Paimon, instantly teleporting to an unknown location.

Not only was Lisa stunned, but the traveler was also bewildered.

"Paimon, where are you? Paimon—"

The traveler and Lisa split up on the street to search for Paimon's whereabouts.

Kong was very anxious. He had only been in Mondstadt for a short time, but he liked Paimon very much and had unknowingly regarded her as the most reliable partner in this other world.

Together they bullied slimes in the forest, barbecued food at the Hilichurl camp, and spent every night and morning together; Paimon kept him company when he was lonely, and Paimon cheered him up when he was sad. They had long been best friends who could talk about anything.

The Fools didn't have a good reputation in Mondstadt, and coupled with their lack of understanding of Prince Winter, they worried that Paimon might be persecuted after being captured. After searching for a while without success, they burst into tears in despair.

"Waaah... Paimon, Paimon, come back! Where are you? Waaah... Answer me, answer me!"

With the Lawrence family having seized the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius, Mondstadt is now sparsely populated, making the traveler's melancholy and lonely figure appear even more solitary.

What the traveler didn't know was that his every move was being "live-streamed" by Su Yu.

In the spacious wine cellar of a noble estate in Mondstadt, Su Yu used his supreme divine power to project the Traveler Kong's every move onto a wall.

Su Yu remained silent.

Paimon, who had witnessed the Traveler's devastated state after losing her, was heartbroken and was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Seeing that the time was right, Su Yu said, "I'm sorry to separate you, Paimon. You may resent my cruelty, but given your dangerous journey ahead, I want you to understand the meaning of the word 'partner' in advance."

Su Yu is one of the key figures in cracking the dark mist that shrouds the continent of Teyvat.

Meanwhile, the trio of Gemini, Ying, Kong, and Paimon forms another core force.

Su Yu's plan was to give Paimon and Kong a heads-up in advance, so as to encourage them to grow up quickly.

Even if I am defeated in the future, there will still be a glimmer of hope for this world...

Of course, that outcome is highly unlikely to occur.

In short, helping travelers and Paimon to understand the meaning of their journeys earlier is also helping ourselves.

Beyond that, the most important purpose was to use travelers to record and witness this history, thereby resisting the most fatal wear and tear on the gods.

Gods are almost immortal; only terrible wear and tear can cause their divine status to fall, leading them down the path of destruction.

Su Yu's strength is now comparable to the Seven Gods. He has only been in Teyvat for three years, and the wear and tear has not yet affected him. However, fighting against the laws of nature is not something that can be done overnight. He needs to make long-term plans, and how to resist the wear and tear has long been a concern for him.

In addition, he also has a relationship with his sister...

Paimon was no longer as afraid of Su Yu as before, and wiped away his tears.

"The meaning of companionship?"

Su Yu said earnestly, "Paimon, you are one of the countless stars. But to him, you are the whole world."

Paimon, being rather naive, didn't fully understand Su Yu's words at first, and simply said sadly, "Waaah, why do I feel inexplicably sad after hearing you say that?"

Su Yu stepped forward and hugged Paimon to comfort him.

"Paimon, this is both the traveler's journey to find his sister and your journey to regain your memories."

“My…memories? Yes…sigh, I can’t remember my origins. It’s like I woke up one morning and was fished out of the sea by a traveler. The traveler was always so kind to me, never asking about my past. He always thought of me as a very, very good companion.”

"Your Highness, you seem to know about my past. If I am a bad person, could you tell me so I can leave the Traveler's Den sooner?"

Paimon's eyes glistened with tears.

Su Yu's words both excited and terrified her.

She worried that she was a terrible person who would harm travelers in the future, something she absolutely did not want to see.

Su Yu gently rubbed her head, his gaze incredibly deep.

"You are still very weak now. Telling you too much will only harm you. Only when you and the traveler understand the meaning of this journey will you become stronger and understand the value of this encounter."

Paimon's true identity surpasses even that of the Demon God, and may even surpass that of the Seven Gods. In short, she has an extraordinary background, perhaps related to Sky Island...

Su Yushang could not give her a definite answer to her question.

After all, from the moment he traveled to Teyvat, many clues and causal relationships were changed, and Paimon and the Traveler's fate would change accordingly.

Perhaps, the entire continent of Teyvat has changed since my arrival.

The future remains shrouded in mystery.

Paimon, standing beside him, looked at the projection on the wall with teary eyes once again.

Every time the traveler shed tears, her heart seemed to clench.

Finally, with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, she said, "Although the traveler often says I'm clumsy, this time I realized that Your Highness was actually just fooling me. You told me so much just to make me protect the traveler, right? Then don't worry, as long as he stays by my side, I will always protect him."

It's really a smart one, sigh.

"Alright, we should go back now. Otherwise, your friends will come after me."

Su Yu shook his head slightly and gave a helpless smile.

Chapter 45 Long Time No See

Goethe Hotel.

When Su Yu brought Paimon back, the Traveler saw Paimon and burst into tears of joy.

Paimon explained everything to him, and the traveler calmed down.

“Prince Winter, whatever your motives, Paimon is my best friend, and we will never be apart. I hope you won’t do this again.”

Kong's eyes were still red and swollen, clearly indicating that she had cried for a long time before Su Yu returned.

“I have my own style in doing things, and my own reason in saying things.” Su Yu took the steaming tea that the lady from the Hidden Mirror had brought him. “Traveler, I heard from Abedo that you have incredible purification abilities. I invited you here today to ask you to help me lift the curse.”

The traveler asked, "Your Highness, what benefit do I receive?"

"Just tell me what you want."