The morning sun bathed Mondstadt in a warm, golden light. Shao Yun sat alone at an outdoor table at Good Hunter, enjoying the peace of an early breakfast.
But that peace was soon broken by the sound of hurried footsteps. Eula and Amber appeared in his line of sight.
Eula looked fatigued, but tried to maintain a composed exterior. Amber, however, was visibly worried, tightly clutching Eula's hand.
"Amber, I'm really fine now." Eula attempted to pull her hand away, her tone tinged with helplessness. "You don't have to follow me around."
But Amber wouldn't let go. She clung to Eula's arm.
"You cried so hard last night—how can I just leave you alone now? And now you suddenly say you're fine? How do you expect me to believe that?"
Eula took a deep breath to calm her emotions.
"I've made up my mind, Amber. I've realized something: my relatives deserved to die."
Yet Amber's next words struck at the heart of Eula's turmoil.
"You can't be serious! Last night you kept saying Lessig shouldn't have died!"
Just as Eula was about to retort, her eyes locked with Shao Yun's from across the plaza.
At that moment, a flood of complex emotions surged within her—fear, shock, and a subtle panic.
She froze, her thoughts consumed by the depth of Shao Yun's gaze.
"Eula, what's wrong…"
Amber followed her line of sight and immediately spotted Shao Yun eating alone. She instantly realized something was wrong.
"Eula, let's go. Don't look that way."
She tried to pull Eula away, but Eula remained transfixed, her attention wholly consumed.
Shao Yun set down his utensils slowly and turned his calm gaze toward them. He gave a small wave and spoke with composed ease.
"Good morning. Why don't you join me for something to eat? My treat."
Eula hesitated for a moment—then chose to face him head-on.
She walked up to Shao Yun step by step, biting her lip, fighting back her pain and fury. Her voice trembled.
"Why did you kill Lessig? I need to know the answer!"
Amber rushed forward in alarm, trying to stop her. She covered Eula's mouth in panic, whispering frantically.
"Eula, don't! You'll anger him!"
But Eula pulled her hand away and stared at Shao Yun, demanding an answer.
"Tell me! Why did you kill Lessig? He wasn't beyond redemption! He passed you information—he begged for his life! Why did you kill him anyway?!"
So, this moment finally came.
"And what are you saying by that?" Shao Yun's eyes held no anger or defensiveness—just a calm that ran deep and impenetrable.
"He—I—I know you're not someone who kills without reason… so why Lessig?" Eula's words were disordered with emotion, but her trust in Shao Yun was clear.
She believed in him. She didn't believe he was heartless. But she couldn't understand why he would kill someone who'd already surrendered, who had pleaded for mercy.
Shao Yun picked up a napkin and calmly wiped the corner of his mouth. He looked her in the eye and answered in a voice steady and cold.
"He told me—he already knew the Lawrence family had bought firearms to rebel. He knew I was the 'lowborn' one they feared. He didn't act out—he was just scared."
Eula gasped. "But he realized he was wrong! He didn't betray you!"
Shao Yun nodded slightly, then said with piercing clarity,
"Maybe he didn't act against me—but…"
He suddenly raised his voice with unwavering finality.
"He was there."
Those words exploded in Eula's mind like thunder. She stared at Shao Yun's chilling gaze, stunned that he had left her no room for sentiment.
She stumbled back, then broke into tears and ran off.
Amber chased after her, shouting, "Eula! Wait!"
Shao Yun watched their figures disappear into the distance and sighed softly. He turned to Sara, the Good Hunter waitress.
"Sara, I'm finished."
...
Shao Yun left Good Hunter, heading home. But suddenly, a system prompt appeared before him.
[You must visit the cemetery behind the Favonius Cathedral—to see Lessig's grave.]
Reading the system's prompt, Shao Yun replied coldly,
"I refuse. I don't regret killing. If I'm guilty, I hope I die miserably—hung on a noose or killed by someone stronger. I'll accept it as fate's punishment."
[Legend of the East Challenge IV: Granting Mercy]
[Lessig's soul wanders this world—you must decide its fate.]
[You have received a Pentagram Sigil. Place it upright on the gravestone to forgive him; place it inverted to offer his soul to the demon.]
[Regardless of your choice, your decision will be absolved.]
[Reward: 1x Legend of the East Gear Fragment, 1x New Weapon]
...
That morning, sunlight bathed the cemetery behind the Favonius Cathedral in gentle gold. Shafts of light broke through sparse clouds, illuminating the peaceful, mournful earth.
Venti stood silently before Lessig's grave. His slender figure, bathed in dappled light, seemed lonelier than ever.
Shao Yun hadn't brought Lessig's body back to the Lawrence villa—hadn't sacrificed him to the demon.
But he had forced Venti to relinquish the souls of everyone except Eula.
Which meant Lessig's soul belonged to neither the demon, nor to Mondstadt.
Venti had tried everything—plucking his lyre with wind-blessed strings to exploit temporal loopholes, calling Lessig's soul back with melodies. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't return Lessig to Mondstadt.
Despair and helplessness surged within him, drowning his heart.
He rested his head against the cold tombstone, tears slipping silently down his face, falling like droplets on the stone.
"I'm so useless…" he choked. "A disgrace of a god. I can't even protect my own people…"
At that moment, Shao Yun quietly approached and stood beside him.
He watched in silence. After several minutes, he finally spoke.
"Venti."
Venti flinched, lifting his head in alarm. A trace of panic flickered in his eyes.
He quickly stepped back and wiped his face hastily, trying to cover up his real purpose.
"I was just… gathering inspiration," he stammered awkwardly.
Shao Yun glanced around at the gravestones, his tone neutral.
"Gathering inspiration… in a graveyard?"
Venti was at a loss for words—he knew there was no way to explain.
He lowered his head, fell silent for a moment, then admitted quietly, "I… I just came to see him."
Shao Yun stepped up beside him, the two now standing shoulder to shoulder before Lessig Lawrence's solemn gravestone.
Venti's eyes were rimmed red. He turned to Shao Yun, voice trembling faintly.
"Shao Yun… is there a way to bring Lessig's soul back? If you can… I'm begging you. I'll pay any price—just bring him home."
Shao Yun didn't answer right away. Silence fell again, broken only by the soft rustle of wind through the cemetery grass.
Venti, mistaking the silence for contemplation, tried to offer context.
"Five hundred years ag—"
Shao Yun suddenly raised a hand and gently covered Venti's mouth.
"Don't speak. I need silence. I need to think."
Startled, Venti obediently fell quiet.
Shao Yun released him, then removed his hat and held it to his chest, gazing solemnly at the grave.
After a long pause, he reached into his Legend of the East pack and retrieved the Pentagram Sigil the system had given him.
It gleamed under the sun—its golden brilliance resonating with ancient, unfathomable power.
Shao Yun clutched the sigil tightly, eyes fixed on the grave.
"I followed my heart—and I made my choice. I don't regret killing you. If I were in that moment again, I would still make the same decision."
"You didn't have the courage Eula had. You didn't resist your family. You didn't stand against me—but you were present. And for that, you had to die."
Then, with measured resolve, he pressed the sigil against the gravestone—upright.
The sigil glowed and held fast, pulled by some unseen force.
"Even so, I choose to forgive your soul. Maybe you'll think I'm a hypocrite. Maybe I am. But every decision I make… I make from my heart."
"You can hate me. Seek revenge. But remember—revenge is a fool's game. Unless you're absolutely certain you can kill me—don't try. And never touch Lumine or Paimon. If you do… you'll regret it."
As his final words faded, the sigil dissolved into golden particles and scattered on the wind.
A cool teal breeze whispered through the trees. Venti felt the familiar trace of spirit within it—and knew, without doubt, that Lessig had returned to Mondstadt.
Tears welled up again. He clenched his fists and whispered,
"Thank you."
Shao Yun gave him a light pat on the shoulder and left only one line before walking away.
"Don't thank me. I'm not worthy of it. Even the rats in the sewers are better than me."
...
[You chose to forgive Lessig's soul—but you don't even know why. Maybe you've gone mad.]
[Reward: Legend of the East Set Fragment ×1; Gunslinger Revolver ×1]
[Bonus: Your Honor Value in Mondstadt has reached its maximum. Purchases: -50%]