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"And there is also this crystal—"
Nahida broke the silence. As she spread her palm, a strange crystal materialized above it—emerald-green and translucent on the outside, with what looked like yellow flames dancing within.
"I found this inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana, but I have absolutely no memory of it… It is filled with pure elemental energy, very similar to my own power, yet subtly different. I can say with certainty that this was not something I left behind…
It seems to be connected to my blurred memories in some way, but I found nothing no matter how I searched. I only vaguely remember that there was something extremely important I still needed to do, yet I cannot recall it—no matter how hard I try, I just can't remember.
Lumine, if Irminsul was truly modified, you should not have been affected. I recall that after we returned from saving Irminsul, your reaction was somewhat unusual…"
Nahida stared intently at Lumine.
"I hesitated several times over whether to tell you, but…" Lumine sighed softly and finally made up her mind. "Since you want to know, let me put it this way—the situation was similar to when we saved Aramuhukunda. The difference is that you were the purest branch itself… I don't know if I can say any more than that."
Without much surprise, Nahida confirmed further, "So the reason I cried back then… was because I had just experienced a farewell, wasn't it?"
"Yes."
"I think I understand now… Can you tell me her name? Don't worry—this won't lead to any negative consequences."
Hearing this from the one who understood Irminsul best, Lumine nodded. "People called her—Greater Lord Rukkhadevata."
"Whether a nation heading toward the future can remember a name that no longer exists… Greater Lord Rukkhadevata… Because a Descender exists, I was able to remember your name…"
Holding the crystal created from Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's power, Nahida felt the faint warmth within it and murmured softly after learning the truth.
"In that case, everything makes sense now. The things I believed to be lost memories must have been Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's experiences. After her disappearance, Irminsul assigned those experiences to me… I will take on the responsibilities that come with them."
"Wait, I'm a little confused?" Paimon scratched her head, her face full of confusion and bewilderment. "Who is Greater Lord Rukkhadevata? Why don't I remember her at all?"
"In order to save the world, we used Irminsul to erase Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's existence. All memories related to her throughout Teyvat were erased as well. Lumine does not belong to Teyvat, which is why she was able to retain memories of her," Nahida explained.
"Erasing a person from the world entirely… Irminsul can actually do something like that?" A trace of fear crossed Paimon's face. "Even though Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's story is really moving, suddenly I feel so unsafe… If one day I were erased too… but Lumine would definitely still remember me, right? Then it doesn't seem quite as scary anymore…"
"Paimon…"
Lumine did not know how to comfort her.
She recalled something Zhongli had once said: "History can be recorded, but history itself is unreliable. When you—who traverse the stars and cross the firmament—serve as the one to 'record' it, Teyvat's history gains a form of 'existential backup.'"
Even as a Descender, it seemed that all she could do was remember those whom the world had forgotten.
It was Nahida who calmly reassured them with reason and logic:
"Irminsul records the entirety of Teyvat's history. It is far too vast—like a book stacked from the deepest seabed all the way up to the highest stars.
To modify it, one must locate every relevant part of that book and expend equivalent power to make adjustments.
The greater the change, the greater the power required. Almost no one can alter the history of the entire world, so any modifications usually only affect the one being modified—for example, reducing one person from history…
Even so, the power required is terrifying. At the very least, it would require power on the level of the Seven Archons. And with me guarding Irminsul… Paimon, you don't need to worry too much."
After hearing this, Paimon finally settled down.
Lumine also let out a breath of relief—if world history could be modified without limit, that would truly be outrageous.
Taking advantage of the discussion about Irminsul, Victor Wang asked, "Then what about that crystal… You said the power inside it is slightly different from yours. By your explanation, it seems to have been left behind by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata—but she no longer exists, right?"
Nahida replied again:
"When modifications to Irminsul cause additional changes, Irminsul automatically corrects them. To maintain the stability of the world—and to conserve 'ink and paper'—it tries to keep the impact as small as possible.
It can almost be said that, aside from the 'modified individual' themselves, everything else that has happened will still have happened.
For example, the Aranara created by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata still exist, and this crystal she created also still exists. If they had disappeared along with her, the impact would have expanded further and further—without limit.
So, in order to minimize the effect, Irminsul simply erased the information pointing to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata as their creator, and for the sake of consistency, reassigned those achievements to me."
"I understand," Victor Wang said with a nod.
"All right." Nahida put away the crystal left behind by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and composed herself. "Now it's time to talk about the real reason I invited you here."
"Eh? So, everything you said earlier wasn't the real reason?" Paimon asked in surprise, and Nahida shook her head.
"Victor, I promised to help you with that matter. I tried searching Irminsul for relevant information, and as expected, it led to the Dendro Dragon—but it has concealed its location.
And Lumine, regarding your brother: last time, we mentioned that the Fatui did not list him among the Descenders. This is particularly important, as it suggests that the Fatui may possess even more information—information that even I am unaware of.
In order to search for the Dendro Dragon's whereabouts, and to investigate information about Lumine's brother, I have decided to conduct a deeper search within Irminsul. That is the true reason I called you here."
"We're going into Irminsul again?" Paimon hugged herself and shrank back slightly. "I always feel like that place is super dangerous now—one wrong move and it affects the entire world…"
"Don't worry. As I said before, modifying Irminsul is not so simple. However… this time, the ones entering Irminsul will not be me and you, but rather—'Scaramouche' and you."
"Scaramouche?!" Paimon immediately bristled, reacting strongly. "That guy is a Fatui Harbinger! How can you let him get anywhere near Irminsul?!"
"I have my reasons, Paimon. Can you calm down first and listen to what I have to say?"
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