Sumeru, Gandharva Ville.
Tartaglia had already set up tables and chairs, fiddling with his phone and sending messages as he waited.
"Croak!"
His crimson frog cried out.
Tartaglia looked up. In the distance, a blazing motorcycle sped across the steep hillside as if it were flat ground. In just a few blinks, it came right up to him.
Kaeya put away his motorcycle, grinning at Tartaglia.
"You're still the first one here. How's the situation?"
Tartaglia glanced toward the distant Valley of Dahri, then shook his head.
"Not a stir yet. No need to rush." He gestured at the setup. "We're all guildmates here, sit down and make yourselves comfortable."
"Collei and the others will be along soon. I asked them to gather some local mushrooms on the way."
Kaeya arched a brow and teased, "You don't sound like you're preparing for a fight. More like you're here on vacation."
"Croak!"
The crimson frog nodded in agreement.
"Hah." Tartaglia chuckled. "Before, I'd never be so relaxed. But now? To be blunt, I don't even bother putting the so-called God of Justice in my eyes anymore."
"Tsk, that's how whales talk, huh." Kaeya sighed, amused. Power did change a man's tone. Tartaglia's voice dripped with contempt for the God of Justice.
"You'd get along well with Diluc," Kaeya smirked. "You both look down on authority."
Tartaglia only laughed. "Sit. I have to say though, I envy your bike. Driving through this terrain like it's nothing."
Kaeya eyed the nearby off-road vehicle and noticed something odd—no tire tracks. He chuckled.
"Don't tell me you carried it here?"
"Yeah." Tartaglia nodded. "When the road got bad, I just hoisted it up. Not hard, but… hardly elegant."
Diluc couldn't hold back a laugh.
As they bantered, the roar of an engine echoed from afar.
"Guess they got stuck on the way," Tartaglia mused.
"I'll go help," Kaeya said.
But soon, a green off-road car drove up and stopped.
Tighnari stepped out, frowning. "What a terrible road."
"There isn't even a road," Cyno corrected dryly. He looked at Tartaglia bustling about and muttered, "Feels more like a picnic."
"Exactly." Kaeya laughed. "And these mushrooms you picked are fresh. Good job."
"Trust my professional skills a little more, will you?" Tighnari sighed.
"Come on, sit!" Tartaglia waved them over. "Luckily, I came prepared. Brought plenty of good stuff. We'll eat and wait together."
By evening, Lu Heng noticed Shenhe changing. The biggest change—she was smiling more often, and the smiles were natural.
That was undeniably a good thing.
As for what Cloud Retainer would think when she found out… Lu Heng wasn't too worried.
After dinner, Lu Heng tuned into Ying's livestream.
She had just started the interlude quest—about Scaramouche.
"No way, he's alive? I thought he died!"
Ying was shocked. "You guys might not get it. Whether he lives or dies isn't the point. The point is—Nahida actually asked Scaramouche to investigate the World Tree? Really?"
"Maybe the God of Wisdom has her own reasons?" Paimon spread her hands, though she looked just as lost.
"I don't get it!" Ying groaned. "Guess I'm pulling an all-nighter for this."
"Hey, look on the bright side!" Paimon encouraged. "Once we finish this, the story gets even juicier."
"You're right!" Ying's spirits lifted again.
Lu Heng checked the time—eight o'clock.
"Time to rest," Shenhe reminded.
Lu Heng hesitated. Having already seen countless futures in his cyber-divinations, the excitement wasn't so strong anymore. His focus was better kept on the people by his side.
Night deepened.
At the Pureglass Workshop, Scaramouche was also watching Ying's stream, distracting himself with his own appearance in the game's interlude.
Nahida choosing to keep him alive had surprised him.
"She really is… kind. Heh." His laugh was bitter. But soon, his expression twisted into a snarl.
For the truth of Tatarasuna was being revealed within the World Tree—
The true mastermind was none other than Doctor Dottore.
"So… Harbinger Columbina's order is fulfilled. Create an opening. Embed us into Inazuma's systems… hah. How interesting."
Then came Dottore's voice, arrogant and clinical.
Scaramouche's pupils shrank, his fists clenching tight.
"…Dottore! Dottore!!"
He never imagined the Tatarasuna tragedy had been orchestrated by Dottore himself. All of it—for nothing more than worming the Fatui into Inazuma, manipulating his fractured heart to push him into their ranks.
From the very beginning, he had been nothing but a pawn in their hands.
The thought was unbearable.
"Dottore! Show yourself!" he roared.
But nothing answered, save startled workers nearby.
Scaramouche stormed through the workshop, searching every corner for Dottore. His fury boiled over; he wanted nothing more than to catch him and tear him apart.
He even barged into the Akademiya.
"So late—what's the matter?" Azar frowned.
"Where is Dottore?!" Scaramouche's presence radiated killing intent.
"How should I know? You think he tells me his whereabouts?" Azar shook his head.
"Pathetic."
Scaramouche sneered and left. He even searched the Sanctuary of Surasthana, but found no trace.
"So you ran, huh?"
Back at the workshop, he stared at the massive mech, nearly complete, and his smile grew twisted.
"The moment I ascend to godhood, you'll be the first I kill, Dottore."
His hatred now burned brighter than anything else.
"Holy shit!"
"Dottore really is ruthless."
"And Scaramouche is such a fool. Played like a puppet all along."
Ying burst out laughing.
Beside her, Paimon sighed as she pieced together his story.
"Scaramouche really is… pitiful and pathetic. Almost makes you feel sorry for him."
"How so?" Ying tilted her head.
"He was strung along without ever realizing. And… he's not exactly the brightest. His consciousness was new. No one taught him how to grow, so it's no wonder he turned out warped."
"True. But still, pitiful people often bring about their own downfall. Just look at what he's done. No sympathy." Ying shook her head.
"I thought Dottore had no rivals in making enemies, but turns out Scaramouche managed to rack up just as many. The Kaedehara and Kamisato clans—both ruined because of him!"
"Good grief…"
At Tenshukaku, Ayato's tone was heavy.
"Shogun…"
Ei's face was full of guilt.
"I told you earlier to deal with him. You didn't listen."
Miko clicked her tongue. "Alright, alright. Didn't that Childe fellow also cross paths with him? The Kamisato family's payback will come soon enough."
"I must state clearly," Ayato said solemnly. "The Kamisato clan's failings must be judged by Inazuma's law and by the Shogun, not by private vengeance."
"…I understand," Ei nodded.
"Good." Ayato exhaled. Only now did he realize how many of Inazuma's woes stemmed back to Ei herself—the Vision Hunt Decree, the isolation, even the creation of Scaramouche.
Not everything could be pinned on her, but her mercy back then had left this festering disaster alive.
Suddenly, Ei stood.
"What are you doing?" Raiden Makoto asked sharply.
"Ending the mistake I created." Ei's voice was firm.
"You call that facing responsibility?" Makoto sighed. "Enough. Acknowledge your hesitation, learn from it. Next time, you'll know better. For now—Inazuma must be set in order. We can't afford another tragedy born of Fatui schemes."
In Liyue, at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Zhongli frowned deeply.
"How could she dare let Scaramouche touch the World Tree?"
He truly could not understand. Was this little God of Wisdom really the successor of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata?
Even the Greater Lord herself would never have taken such a reckless risk.
Meanwhile, Ying's livestream exploded.
"The World Tree is so important! Why let a criminal near it—let alone change its records?!"
"My god, what is Nahida thinking?!"
"No wonder the Akademiya locked her up. She's dangerous!"
"So the sages were right after all?"
"…He's messing with the World Tree? If people's memories are rewritten, does she think that doesn't matter?!"
"Is this the arrogance of the God of Wisdom?"
Paimon was baffled too. "Think about it. Scaramouche then tells us to find people and tell them the truth. But their memories have already changed. Who would believe a stranger claiming to be their enemy?"
"See, look at this!" Ying pointed at her screen. "Entire families' massacres have been rewritten! Why them? Because they had no survivors—no one to remember them."
Paimon burst out laughing. "What a mess! Eye-opening, really."
"But there's something strange," Ying mused. "Before, Nahida may have been weak, but she wasn't foolish. Why is she acting like this now?"
"Maybe it's because of the Greater Lord?" Paimon thought hard. "Once she was forgotten, everyone assumed Nahida was the one who had done everything. Nahida herself probably believes she is the Greater Lord. But without the same wisdom, she can't judge her own decisions. If she thinks she is Rukkhadevata, then she believes she must be right."
"Sounds complicated." Ying shook her head. "But in short—Nahida thinks she's the all-knowing Greater Lord. And since Rukkhadevata's erasure, she's been off. That's the root of the problem."
"Like if you suddenly became Lu Heng," Paimon said thoughtfully. "But your mind wasn't the same as his. It would break things."
"…That's a good comparison. Don't use it again." Ying groaned.
The chat boiled over.
"Thank goodness the Greater Lord's been revived in reality. That little God is terrifying."
"The World Tree is too dangerous. She's playing with fire—our memories, the very world, could unravel!"
"Honestly, I'm siding with Azar now!"
"This interlude basically redeemed him by comparison!"
"Azar can't be redeemed. He still has to die. But next to her? He looks wise."
"Exactly!"
"History doesn't change easily. But people's hearts do."
Ying repeated the line, frowning. "So history remains, but people's understanding shifts. Which means… I'm all for the Greater Lord returning to rule Sumeru again."
"Agreed, with hands and feet!" Paimon declared.
Ying brushed off her frustration and stood. "That's it for this quest. Next one can wait. For now—time to head to Sumeru!"
"There are Sumeru folks in the chat, right? Don't be afraid! The Greater Lord is back, and card masters are already on their way. Everything will be fine!"
The comments lit up with relief.
Ying grinned. "Relax, I'll head straight there now."
With teleport anchors—and the convenience of her [Game Mode]—travel was effortless.
She grabbed Paimon and warped to Gandharva Ville.
Moments later, she was running toward the group's campsite.
"Ying! Paimon! Over here!" Collei waved excitedly.
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T/N:
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