["Everyone… On behalf of the entire Sky-Faring Commission, I thank the Trailblazer crew for saving the Luofu during the Stellaron crisis…"]
[Inside the Sky-Faring Commission, Yukong solemnly expressed her thanks to the Trailblazer crew once again. However, before she could finish speaking, her voice began to tremble slightly at the end, and her gaze unconsciously drifted toward an empty spot somewhere in the Palace of Astrum.]
[Seeing Yukong like this, everyone felt a pang in their hearts, but what needed to be said still had to be said. Welt sighed and said, "Helm Master Yukong must have already heard about Miss Tingyun…"]
["I know. When I saw four people leave and only three return, I understood that the battle report sent by Fu Xuan was true."]
["This is something Miss Tingyun left behind…" Stelle handed the damaged folding fan to Yukong.]
[Looking at Tingyun's folding fan, several teardrops hovered on Yukong's trembling eyelashes, about to fall but not quite: "I still find it hard to believe. Is that battle report really not some cruel joke?"]
["The Antimatter Legion appearing on the Xianzhou? Tingyun… she was a disguise of some Lord Ravager? I don't believe it…"]
["The Tingyun who worked with me for over thirty years, who once handled Sky-Faring Commission affairs alongside me—how could she possibly be the disguise of some monster? Where is the real her now?"]
——
Arcane: League of Legends (Arcane).
Caitlyn was sitting on a bench in Piltover Park, her fingertips unconsciously fiddling with the pull tab of a canned coffee. In the light screen, Yukong's sad and melancholic expression looked especially glaring under the clear sunlight.
"Do you clearly know the truth better than anyone, yet still deceive yourself?"
"Cupcake, you can't impose your own way of thinking on Miss Yukong. In these hundreds of years, she's lost far too many important people."
Vi beside her scratched her head, seemingly searching for the right words. "Not seeing Tingyun's body… to her, that's like a life-saving straw, so no matter what, she'll hold on to it tightly, right?"
"This kind of pain isn't something you can just bear by 'facing reality.' Maybe she just needs a little time to… deceive herself."
"Oh? I didn't expect you to be so eloquent?" This was the first time Caitlyn had seen Vi so serious, and she suddenly became interested, asking out of the blue: "If one day… hypothetically, if I disappeared like Tingyun, what would you do?"
Vi was stunned for a moment, then gave a helpless smile: "Cupcake, what kind of question is that? Something like that could never happen…"
"Answer me."
Caitlyn's voice unusually carried a trace of stubbornness.
"Fine…" Vi knew she couldn't win against this young lady, so she put away her smile and thought seriously for a moment.
"Probably… I'd be like Yukong." Vi looked up at the pained and lost expression on Yukong's face. "Even knowing it's impossible, I'd still scour the Undercity and Overcity, searching every place you might be. Until…"
"Until what?"
"Until the day I can accept reality."
Caitlyn fell silent for a moment, then suddenly threw the coffee can in her hand toward her.
"What a… terrible answer." She stood up and walked toward the denser crowd in the park, but her voice was gentler than before. "But… at least it's honest."
——
["Thank you all for bringing Tingyun's belongings back to the Palace of Astrum. In this Stellaron crisis, we lost many comrades, brothers, sisters, and children…"]
[Yukong took a deep breath, and after slightly calming her emotions, she slowly spoke: "I would like to invite all of you, as witnesses to this battle, to participate in the Sky-Faring Commission's [Soul-Soothing Ceremony] held for the fallen. What do you think?"]
["Soul-Soothing Ceremony?"]
["In short-life species' terms, it's a funeral." Yukong explained. "But for long-life species, matters after death have always been a distant and vague concept."]
["In ordinary times, before signs of mara appear, Ten-Lords Commission receivers would bring the Xianzhou natives to the Hall of Karma, leave behind their life experiences, and then return to stillness. People are accustomed to brief farewells instead of elaborate burial rituals."]
[Foxians have far shorter lifespans than the Xianzhou's long-life species, so they place great importance on post-death ceremonies. Moreover, with so many Cloud Knights fallen in the line of duty this time, the Hall of Karma simply couldn't accommodate them all, so Yukong planned to give those departed a proper resting place.]
[Using the Sky-Faring Commission's methods combined with Foxian rites: placing the deceased's relics aboard a starskiff, sending it out from the Xianzhou, sailing into a star, and shining together with it.]
["I also hope to bid farewell to Tingyun through this ceremony. This is my selfishness—although she wasn't a Cloud Knight who fell in battle, she was still one of our Sky-Faring Commission, and a victim of this crisis."]
["Although I still don't want to believe it. I will definitely investigate Tingyun's whereabouts in my own way. But right now, I… I…"]
[Yukong slowly closed her eyes: "This is the only thing I can do for her."]
——
Teyvat, Liyue.
Inside Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, candle flames flickered, and the fragrance of tea wafted through the air.
Hu Tao was sprawled on the table, swinging her legs, staring intently at Yukong explaining the Soul-Soothing Ceremony. For once, she wasn't laughing or joking; her plum-blossom pupils reflected the sad and lost expressions of everyone present.
"I originally thought… these long-life species on the Xianzhou didn't care much about matters after death, but it turns out they take it quite seriously."
"Placing relics in a starskiff and sending them into the stars to burn… romantic yet solemn. It's indeed a good method."
Zhongli took a light sip of tea, his gilded eyes shifting slightly: "Using a star as the furnace and a starskiff as the guide… it truly carries the distinctive flavor of the Xianzhou."
Hu Tao flipped over to sit up, suddenly leaning close to Zhongli: "Guest, you think this method is pretty good too, right? How about we introduce it to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?" Her eyes sparkled. "For example, transform the coffins into little boats, then light them up—"
"Director." Zhongli set down his teacup, speaking mildly. "Liyue's traditions emphasize 'resting in peace in the earth.' Changing it rashly would be improper."
"Hmph." Hu Tao pouted in dissatisfaction. "When did you become so rigid, Guest? Look how creative the Xianzhou's method is! This Director is… learning from the best and selecting the good! If Wangsheng Funeral Parlor held this kind of ceremony, it would definitely attract more clients!"
"…Hehe, Director, why not let me finish first."
Zhongli gave a faint smile, speaking unhurriedly: "Though this wouldn't work in Liyue, it might be feasible in other nations beyond Liyue. Hasn't the Director recently wanted to spread Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's name to Fontaine? Fontaine is surrounded by sea on three sides—perfectly suited for this kind of send-off ceremony you have in mind."
"Oh, right!" Hu Tao's eyes lit up, and in delight she hooked her arm around Zhongli's neck. "As expected of the Guest with ideas! When the day comes for you to pass on, Director will definitely arrange the most luxurious version of this ceremony for you!"
"…"
Zhongli's hand holding the cup paused slightly, and he let out a soft sigh: "Then I must thank the Director in advance."