Ruola felt a bit tired. She went to the best spot to watch the sunrise and sat down.
Everyone else also came and sat down next to Ruola.
Everyone was seated. Diluc, Lumine, and Noelle were closest to Ruola, with only Paimon still floating in the air.
Ruola pulled Paimon into her arms and looked at the horizon.
It had taken some time for Diluc and the others to notify people to come, and Ruola had spent a little more time catching up with everyone.
It was estimated that the sun would rise soon.
"Lumine, will you and Paimon travel all over Teyvat?"
"Yes."
Lumine answered without hesitation. Until she reached the final destination, understood the truth of the matter, and avenged Ruola, she would keep going!
"Can you show me that longsword?"
Lumine took out the Endless Acuity longsword that Ruola had given her.
Ruola held the longsword in her hand and turned to Venti:
"Venti, can you help me?"
Because many people were present, Ruola no longer addressed him as Lord Barbatos.
After all, judging by Barbara's current expression, Venti probably hadn't revealed his identity yet.
With just a look, Venti understood Ruola's thoughts, but... he hesitated.
He could do it, but...
Did he really want to?
"Venti, can you help me? This is my last wish!"
Upon hearing the keyword "last," Venti finally agreed.
Suddenly, Ruola felt even more tired.
She handed the longsword to Lumine:
"Keep going, Lumine. You must carry this sword and travel through the Seven Nations. Also, help me see the beautiful scenery of Teyvat!"
Ruola asked Venti to transfer a tiny bit of her soul into the sword. That bit of soul power had very little impact on her. It was less soul power and more just an imprint.
The purpose was to leave a memento for the players, so they would think of her every time they saw this sword.
Thus, she could continue to collect emotional feedback under the alias of Ruola.
Even a mosquito's leg is meat, let alone this, which was more than just a mosquito's leg.
Lumine didn't know what cryptic words Ruola and Venti exchanged, nor did she know what Venti did to the sword.
However, when the sword returned to her hand, Lumine, gripping the hilt, suddenly felt something different.
---
Outside the game.
When the sword was sent back, a screen popped up on the game interface. The screen showed the sword, along with an explanation.
• • •
Endless Acuity
— Before leaving this world, your friend Ruola requested the Anemo Archon to transfer a small portion of her remaining soul into it. She hopes to accompany you through the Seven Nations with this.
Special Effect: When the Traveler uses Pyro element power, attack damage is increased by an additional 200.
• • •
Chen Xiyao: "She's leaving, and she's still giving us things..."
: "No wonder it's a five-star weapon. I was wondering why there was no legend about this weapon."
: "Endless Acuity, I think it should be renamed 'Endless Hatred'. Then we'll use this sword to chop that bastard to pieces!"
: "Look on the bright side, everyone was with Ruola when she left."
: "But Ruola's soul was devoured by ninety percent. Venti even said it was very painful..."
: "Damn it, get out upstairs, you're making me cry again!"
---
Starsnatch Cliff.
The sun slowly rose from the horizon, serene and beautiful.
"It turns out watching the sunrise with everyone feels like this. I'm so happy!"
Paimon had been in Ruola's arms, neither noisy nor troublesome.
But suddenly, Paimon felt a coolness on her forehead. She looked up and saw Ruola, whose face was covered in tears.
"Ruola, why are you crying?"
"No, these are tears of joy."
Ruola turned to look at everyone. Her legs could no longer move. Her time was almost up.
She should have had a little more time, but after a tiny bit of her soul merged into Endless Acuity, it was time for it to end now.
The people of Mondstadt felt a sudden heavy blow to their hearts when they saw Ruola looking at them with tear-streaked eyes.
Ruola finally looked at Diluc. As her only blood relative in this world, she instinctively wanted to seek comfort from her brother.
"Brother..."
Diluc raised his hand to wipe away his tears and, as before, reached out to stroke Ruola's head.
When Ruola was happy, she would laugh carelessly; she was an optimist. Diluc had rarely seen Ruola cry, at most just pouting her little mouth in distress.
So, the tears Ruola was shedding now probably weren't from happiness.
Ruola held Diluc's large hand:
"Brother, I... I actually... really don't want to leave. I don't want to... leave everyone... I don't want to die!"
Ruola's tears fell in large drops, and Diluc sadly wiped them away for her.
Seeing her brother so sad, Ruola suddenly broke into a smile through her tears:
"Brother, you're crying! A man can't cry!"
Ruola looked back and found everyone was very sad, many people were wiping away tears.
Ruola pretended to be strong and said:
"Actually, I'm not that unwilling to leave. Everyone accompanied me to watch this last sunrise. Actually... actually, I... I'm already very content."
Paimon rushed forward and hugged Ruola's neck, crying heartbreakingly.
Ruola used her last movable right hand to wipe away Paimon's tears:
"Paimon, don't be sad. I'm just... going to see my father."
Upon hearing this, Diluc shed even more tears.
"Brother..."
Ruola's voice became very weak. Everyone realized something and all moved closer to Ruola.
"Brother, I... have no regrets--"
After saying the last sentence, Ruola's entire body turned into particles and dissipated.
Diluc stood stunned, his hand still held in the position where Ruola's head had just been.
No regrets? Perhaps, from the moment she blocked that punch for him, regret had already existed and continued to exist.
Starsnatch Cliff was silent, no one spoke.
Venti: "'Born at the moment of birth, die at the moment of death.' These are words from Liyue. Ruola's time has come. Before she left, she didn't want us to be sad, so she forced herself to smile. We should understand that too."
After Venti finished speaking, no one responded for a while.
Jean also stepped forward:
"Upon our return, the Knights of Favonius will posthumously confer Ruola as an Invested Knight. Everyone has witnessed all she has done. Her knightly name..."
"Let's call her 'Hero Knight'. Ruola likes that title."
Diluc added this last sentence. Ruola, she had always wanted to be a hero.
---
Player world.
: "Rest in peace, Ruola!"
: "May you be as happy there as you were in Mondstadt!"
: "She definitely will be. Ruola's personality is so likable; she'll surely be popular there too!"
: "Goodbye, Ruola. We'll miss you, boo hoo hoo~"
: "mhy, you've done all sorts of bad things!"
On streamer Chen Xiyao's computer screen appeared: To the Last Day (End).
With a heavy heart, Chen Xiyao ended her stream early.
After going offline, she sat still in her spot for over ten minutes, then took out her phone and accessed miHoYo's official account.
"MHY, go die!!!"
.
.
.
_