He changed Tiwat

That time, the "scatterers" obtained the secret of the meteorite before he and Mona and the others, and then left with the words "The starry sky itself is a huge lie" before making their way away.

This time, the "scattered soldier" paused for a moment: "So you knew too... Well then, I have something I'd like to ask you—"

"Why do you value the lives of those ants and weeds? You should know perfectly well that under this false starry sky, life and death are just a false cycle manipulated by the gods."

Chapter 135 A Deceptive Heaven, Where Does Reincarnation Come From? [4k]

Han Fulai's gaze suddenly sharpened.

The answer given by the "scattered soldier" was beyond his expectations.

The night sky in Teyvat is an illusion; the sun, moon, and stars are nothing more than "scenery in a theater."

The "Seal of Fate" that determines everyone's destiny is merely the "Fate System" of Sky Island. It can be said that the life trajectories of most people in this world are controlled by the laws of nature, and are "scripts" that have been arranged in advance.

The entire continent of Teyvat is just a "Truman Show," and humanity is merely an actor, "Truman," unknowingly manipulated by the laws of nature.

He had already confirmed all of these things in Mondstadt.

He even conducted experiments with Mona on the "Constellation," attempting to influence the so-called "fate," and obtained a lot of useful information.

For example, the way Sky Island influences people's fate is similar to a "domino effect," that is, using some predetermined "precursors" to influence the "consequences." However, since the laws of nature are not an omniscient and omnipotent "Laplace's demon," their influence on human fate is not actually to that extent.

For example, Mona's "Water Divination" is a "backdoor" that allows one to exploit loopholes in this "fate system".

In other words, humanity still has hope of breaking free from the shackles of fate and escaping the control of natural law.

So when the "scatterers" kept saying things like "humans are all insects" and "mortals are like weeds," he realized that this must be information that the "scatterers" got from that meteorite.

Wendy created that "meteorite shower" and deliberately attracted the Fatui's enforcers to investigate, all in order to create more "awakened Trumans" in the world.

The "meteorite shower" at that time attracted "scattered soldiers" as its executives.

According to Han Fulai's recollection, when he first came into contact with "Sanbing" two months ago, "Sanbing's" personality was not as annoying as it is now.

Back then, the "streets" would rescue winery workers who had been knocked unconscious by the meteorite, and they had at least basic manners. They would even feel embarrassed by Fischl's cringeworthy lines...

Later, the "streets" saw the meteorite, learned the truth about the world, and became the "Awakened Truman"...and then he became even more immature than Fischl...

In this sense, it's not surprising that the "scatterers" consider themselves "awakened" and feel superior to ordinary people who live under the sway of fate but know nothing about it.

Well, Han Fulai had seen plenty of these "I'm the only one who's sober in a world of drunks" chuunibyou kids online before. "Scattered Soldier's" behavior wasn't anything special among those chuunibyou kids; he was just an advanced version of a chuunibyou kid who was stronger than the average one.

He would ask about things like "scatterers" because his real intention was to get "first-hand information" and confirm the intelligence he and Mona had gathered.

After all, the information contained in the meteorite in Mondstadt, which was also the adventurer Leonard's "Constellation," was hidden by Wendy after the "Skirmisher" read it. The information he currently has is all based on experiments and deductions he made with Mona, and it still lacks real supporting data.

The reactions of the "scattered soldiers" were largely as he had anticipated, until... that last sentence.

"Under this false starry sky, life and death are merely a false cycle manipulated by the gods."

He wasn't saying "gods manipulate fate," but rather "gods manipulate the cycle of life and death."

Others may not be very sensitive to this difference in word choice, since "scattered soldiers" here means that humanity is being controlled by gods.

Since Tenryu can control people's fate with the "Seat of Destiny," lifespan and death are naturally set in the "Fate System" of Sky Island, so it doesn't seem strange.

But as a secretary, Han Fulai, like Yan Fei, a legal consultant, is particularly sensitive to ambiguity in other people's words.

The word "reincarnation" appears very rarely on the continent of Teyvat. When people use this word, it is usually just a metaphorical meaning of "repeated cycle".

As for the original meaning of "reincarnation," it can be said to not exist on the continent of Teyvat—because there is no Buddhism in Teyvat.

"Reincarnation" is a Buddhist concept.

Buddhism teaches the concept of "six realms of reincarnation," believing that the human soul lives not just one lifetime, but has past and future lives, constantly being reborn and cycling between birth and death. Each reincarnation, due to different karmic results of good and evil deeds, causes the soul to revolve like a wheel through the "six realms" (heaven, human, asura, animal, hungry ghost, and hell), endlessly revolving without liberation, hence the term "reincarnation."

However, the concept of "six realms of reincarnation" does not exist on the continent of Teyvat. Yakshas like Xiao, in Buddhist teachings, would belong to the "Asura realm" of the six realms, and are also Yakshas among the "eight classes of gods and dragons," serving as guardian deities in Buddhism.

But in Teyvat, Xiao is a descendant of the Yaksha race, a celestial being of Liyue, not some Asura.

Just like Klee has the pointed ears of an elf, Diona has the cat ears and tail of the Katzrine family, and Goro has the dog ears and tail of the Inugami... But the people of Teyvat just treat them as a special bloodline, no different from ethnic minorities.

When people on the continent of Teyvat talk about "death," they don't say "the cycle of six realms" or "reincarnation." They basically say "returning to the cycle of elements."

"Returning to the elemental cycle" means becoming an element and returning to the earth's veins, which is no different from "returning to the soil" and has nothing to do with "reincarnation".

However, it would be incorrect to say that Teyvat is completely devoid of Buddhism.

In Liyue, for example, there's a "Hall of Rebirth," where "rebirth in paradise" is a Buddhist concept. When Master Hu is exorcising demons—or rather, acquiring new clients—he'll chant things like, "The sea of ​​suffering is boundless, but turning back is the shore," and "A spear opens the road to the underworld, butterflies lead to the bridge to the next life..."

But does Master Hu practice vegetarianism and chant Buddhist scriptures? No.

Do you worship Buddha statues? No.

Are there any legends about Buddha in Liyue? No.

Before Han Fulai traveled through time, players generally believed that Sumeru had Buddhist culture, since the word Sumeru refers to Mount Sumeru in Buddhism, which is the location of the "heavenly realm" in the Buddhist "six realms of reincarnation". There is a "Good Vision City" on Mount Sumeru, and it is said that there is also a place called "Good Vision Land" in Sumeru in Teyvat.

But after transmigrating, Han Fulai discovered that there was actually no Buddhism in Mount Sumeru. Mount Sumeru was home to Sumeru City, where the Little Auspicious Grass King and scholars from the Instruction Academy lived. He had never heard of anyone shaving their head and striking a wooden fish, except for those who went bald because they couldn't write papers... There was a Zen Garden in the Good View Land, which was planted with many flowers and plants, but it had nothing to do with Buddhism. It was a greenhouse for botanical research by scholars of the Life Theory School.

Throughout the entire continent of Teyvat, in no country does Buddhism, temples, scriptures, or monks exist.

Han Fulai used to think that Teyvat was, after all, another world, and it was normal that its culture wouldn't completely correspond to that of Earth.

While Mondstadt has Christian culture and Liyue has Taoist culture, there's no rule requiring Teyvat to have Buddhism.

Moreover, there are some dubious aspects to the cultural heritage of Teyvat that are similar to those of Earth.

For example, Mondstadt has churches, bishops, monasteries and nuns, as well as the Bible and choirs, but it doesn't have Jehovah and Jesus; Liyue has immortals, alchemists, talismans and alchemy, and even almost 100% accurate Taoist talismans, but it doesn't have the Three Pure Ones.

Even after meeting Kanoin Heizo, he didn't think that having the surname "Kanoin" meant he had to become a monk. After all, the "in" in Inazuma's name didn't refer to a "temple" but to a "shrine".

Even the Buddhist mantras and hand gestures used by the "scattered soldiers" when they fought him were regarded by him as something like "yin-yang magic". After all, the nine-syllable mantra of yin-yang magic is actually a Buddhist hand gesture, so it is quite normal to have some similar elements.

But after the "scattered soldier" said that "life and death are just a false cycle manipulated by the gods," Han Fulai realized that the nature of this statement was completely different.

This is not a metaphor; the "scattered soldiers" emphasize the "cycle of birth and death," specifically the Buddhist concept of "reincarnation."

"What do you mean by 'reincarnation'?" he asked.

"You already know it's a 'false heaven,' so why are you asking me what 'life and death reincarnation' is?"

The term "scattered soldiers" is truly baffling.

Or rather, Han Fulai is a very strange person, completely incomprehensible.

In the battles outside, Han Fulai's displayed power was merely that of a "demigod" who inherited the remnants of a demon god. However, the soul collision just now told the "scattered soldiers" that Han Fulai's divine soul was definitely no less powerful than that of a demon god.

The "scattered soldier" figured it out; this person had a very bad character and had been "playing dumb to fool others."

He could even track down into his own "Manas consciousness" to ask questions...

If he were to make a serious move, I wouldn't even have a chance to use "no self in all phenomena" before being instantly killed.

Just like the chief "captain" of the executives, he is obviously extremely powerful, and when he goes all out, he may be able to surpass the "Seven Rulers of the Mortal World", but he always holds back and pretends to be a mortal. He even respects the rules of mortals very much and follows the rules better than anyone else. "The upright and incorruptible 'captain'", "the honest and decisive 'captain'", "the 'captain' with many battle achievements" are the rumors circulating within the Fools.

No wonder some people say the "Captain" shouldn't be in the Fools; he adheres to chivalry more than anyone else and should be Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius. The "Scrapped Soldier" once maliciously wondered if the "Captain" was afraid of becoming too powerful and arousing the Ice Queen's suspicion. After all, most of Mondstadt's foolish knights are like that—possessing power but not seeking to become kings, instead constantly emphasizing responsibility and loyalty…

Even now, Han Fulai seems to be seriously asking himself what "false reincarnation" is... What is this? The kind of "doctoral" attitude where he says "Let me test you" and then spouts a bunch of academic terms to show off his knowledge?

Ah, right, he is the successor of the Geo Archon... That Geo Archon Morax is said to particularly enjoy "worldly wanderings," disguising himself as a mortal, and even willing to act alongside Tartaglia... No wonder he became the "successor of the Emperor."

"Sanbing" felt as if he had found the source of Han Fulai's liking for "playing dumb to fool others".

If he knew that Han Fulai had once faced the "Vortex Demon God" Oser without feeling anything amiss; that he could casually chat and laugh with the Rock God and the Wind God without any reverence; and that he completely ignored the "Dragon's Might" of Dvalin and Durin, treating them like large reptiles... then he would probably have a different opinion of him.

—Han Fulai's story isn't about "pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger." It's about a tiger who grew up in a pigsty and genuinely believed he was a pig.

The rhetorical question from the "scattered soldiers" obviously did not satisfy Han Fulai.

He silently stared at the "stragglers," pondering how to trick them into revealing the intelligence without exposing his own ignorance.

But to the stragglers, that look in his eyes meant he was thinking of cannibalism.

The "straggler" was not afraid of death, but now, with the hope of "transcending reincarnation," he really didn't want to die.

...We were so close to success, how could I give up here?

Fine, let him hear whatever he wants... I'll get my revenge for this humiliation after I become a god.

Just as "Sanbing" was about to speak, footsteps sounded again at the entrance of "Jiejingzhiguan".

Then came a somewhat surprised voice: "There's such a large space behind the collapsed rocks... Could it have been left behind by the team mining 'crystallized bone marrow'?"

Then came another string of self-talk: "...No. That's not right. The interior is completely constructed and well-preserved; it's something no ordinary person could have done..."

The maple trees in the courtyard seemed to be blown by the wind, rustling and falling like rain.

Han Fulai looked at the falling leaves and suddenly realized—time had begun to flow here.

Two minutes later, an Inazuma samurai with a chonmage hairstyle, wearing a dark blue kimono and carrying a sword at his waist came into Han Fulai's view.

Compared to ordinary Inazuma samurai, this person stood out from the crowd in both height and physique.

Han Fulai was a head taller than the "scatterers," but this man was even a head taller than Han Fulai, especially with his massive muscles. His arms were probably as thick as Han Fulai's thighs, and he was no less imposing than the Thunder Hammer Vanguard of the Fools.

If this person didn't have such an honest and simple appearance, he would probably scare children to tears if he walked down the street.

With heavy footsteps, the burly man walked straight toward the Japanese-style room where the "scattered soldier" had been, brushing past Han Fulai and the "scattered soldier".

Han Fulai kept watching the man's actions.

Throughout the entire encounter, the man never made eye contact with him, as if he couldn't see the two people standing in the courtyard at all.

"Is he 'Kusaki'?" Han Fulai asked.

The soldier's voice was somewhat muffled: "Yes. He was a loyal warrior under the command of Tasuna-no-mura Mikoto Nagamasa... He was saved by Mikoto Nagamasa in his early years and swore an oath to go through fire and water for him, even if it meant dying in his place. He was the one who brought me out of here."

Chapter 136 Revisiting the Past, Two Causes from the Past [4k]

Under the watchful eyes of the two, Katsuragi entered the Japanese-style room.

The "stragglers" are outside, so theoretically, only Katsuragi is in the tatami room now.

However, a few seconds later...

"...Hmm? How come there's someone lying here...no wounds, and dressed in fine clothes...who could it be...?" Katsuragi's surprised voice came from the Japanese-style room.

Han Fulai took two steps without making a sound, approaching the paper door of the Japanese-style room—indeed, only Katsuragi was inside.

From his perspective, Katsuragi was speaking to an empty bed.

He squatted down and talked to himself in front of the empty bed, looking as if he were performing a one-man show.

But soon Han Fulai heard another voice.

The boy's voice sounded somewhat hoarse—

"……Who are you……?"

It seemed like he hadn't spoken in a long time. Every word the boy uttered required a long pause, and his tone was somewhat strange, like a parrot mimicking speech... But without a doubt, it was the voice of a "straggler".

Katsuragi was clearly taken aback and immediately sat down on the ground: "Y-you can talk?!"

"..."

In Han Fulai's eyes, Guimu was talking to "air," and that "air" could even respond to him... If Han Fulai had a physical body, this bizarre scene would probably give him goosebumps...

The "scattered soldiers" also watched the scene unfolding in the Japanese-style room without saying a word.

For him, this is his most precious memory, and it can even be said to be his "birth" as a "person" rather than a "doll".

Therefore, every time he experiences a "rebirth" of his soul, he will return to the "day of birth" to experience a "cycle" again.

Sometimes, he acts as a "person who experienced it firsthand," playing the role of himself in his memories; other times, he acts as an "observer," coldly examining his past.

This time, because of Han Fulai's appearance, he was forced to become a "bystander" - after all, he couldn't interact with Guimu and play the role of the person in his memory in front of Han Fulai, the intruder.

Han Fu turned around: "Is Guimu talking to you?"

After a moment of silence, "Scatter Soldier" finally spoke up to explain: "He is just a person in my memory, so he will only act according to my memory... In Katsuragi's eyes, I am still lying on that bed... This is my first encounter with Katsuragi, and everything I have started from this moment."

Will the memories reappear?

Han Fulai raised an eyebrow slightly.

Based on his previous deduction, the "scattered soldier" was waiting for Guimu to appear. Combining this with what the "scattered soldier" had just said, it could be confirmed that for the "scattered soldier," recreating this scene from his memory was a kind of "ritual," and he had to go through this "ritual" to leave this place.

In the tatami room, Katsuragi was still concerned about the "straggler" from his memory: "How are you? Are you injured and trapped here?"

Something hit the ground with a dull thud.

The "scattered soldiers" lowered their heads.

This is the memory of him struggling to get up and trying to walk, but falling down because he had been asleep for too long.

Gui Mu quickly stepped forward and helped the invisible "straggler" up—regardless of whether there was anyone in front of him, every word he said and every action he took was a definite event that had already occurred in history.