Now, at Wangshu Inn, with Orobashi severed by a single strike, the story of his sixth life had come to an end.
On stage, Li Mo recalled the experiences of that life and could not help but sigh. That life had been filled with far too many coincidences.
By all rights, being reincarnated as a powerful god like Orobashi should have been a good start. He had survived the Archon War. Though he had not become the Electro Archon, he could have traveled the world like Alice, a wanderer seeing all there was to see. That would have been a good life.
But unfortunately, Orobashi had encountered the people of Enkanomiya. And worse, he had read that accursed book. It had not only cost him his own life but also the lives of many innocent warriors.
Too many coincidences had led to a tragic ending.
Below, the audience sighed as well.
"I never imagined the truth of history was like this—"
"The great serpent Orobashi was not an evil god. He was a true man. He bore everything alone, thinking of his people even in his final moment."
"If Orobashi had chosen to stay in Inazuma and serve the Raiden sisters instead of leaving, would the tragedy have been avoided?"
"If Orobashi had not fallen into Enkanomiya, would he have never met those people?"
"If Orobashi had been heartless enough to ignore their pleas and not become their god, would he have never seen that forbidden book?"
"If—"
"So many coincidences led to Orobashi's tragedy—"
"Now that we know the truth of history, won't the Heavenly Principles punish us?"
"We don't know the contents of Before Sun and Moon, so of course we won't be punished—"
...
The audience was already deep in discussion. Orobashi, once seen as an evil god, had become a figure of admiration for many, as worthy of respect as Liyue's adepti.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the inn, the three Electro sisters, Barbatos, Zhongli, and Yae Miko, were all watching the storyteller intently.
After hearing the story, they all sighed.
Barbatos said, "Rather than saying Ei killed the god Orobashi, it's more accurate to say the Heavenly Principles killed him. To sentence him to death just for reading a book seems rather arbitrary."
Makoto nodded. "Yes. Though it was Ei who swung the blade, even if she hadn't, Orobashi would have found another way to die. Those sentenced to death by the Heavenly Principles cannot survive."
What she said was true. It was not so much that Ei had killed Orobashi as that the Heavenly Principles had used her to kill him. Whether she had struck or not, Orobashi would have died.
But hearing these words of comfort, Ei's body still trembled slightly.
No matter the truth, her blade was stained with her brother's blood. She herself had struck him down with her strongest technique, the Musou no Hitotachi, killing him with her own hands.
Knowing everything now, a tear rolled down Ei's cheek. "Sister, I cannot forgive myself."
Thinking of her blade stained with her brother's blood was heartbreaking. She reached for Musou Isshin, wanting to enter the Plane of Euthymia. The last time she had entered, it was to meditate on eternity. This time, it was to punish herself for killing her brother.
Just as Ei was about to retreat into the Plane of Euthymia, Makoto caught her. She gently embraced her sister and said softly, "It's all in the past. Brother will not die. He will enter the cycle of reincarnation and be reborn again. Do not worry. After we have heard all the stories of his reincarnations, he will surely appear before us."
As she comforted her sister, a tear also fell from Makoto's eye.
Every time they saw their brother's reincarnation die, their hearts ached. But they could not bear to leave. Because they believed that if they endured the pain and listened to the final life, they would find their brother and see him again.
Beside them, Zhongli, having heard such a moving story, remained completely unmoved. His expression was as indifferent as ever. Only when Orobashi died at the end did he sigh.
Seeing the three Electro sisters' sorrow, Zhongli said slowly, "Just like when he was reincarnated as Durin and killed by Barbatos, the true culprit was Rhinedottir. This time, the true culprit is the Heavenly Principles."
As one of the Seven, he spoke of the Heavenly Principles without any hesitation.
But these words did not comfort the Raiden sisters—instead, they stirred up Barbatos's painful memories again. He raised his harp, ready to smash it over Zhongli's head. Fortunately, Zhongli was quick and dodged.
His expression remained as indifferent as ever. Infuriating.
Barbatos said angrily, "Old man, don't be too happy. There are still more reincarnation stories to come. I don't believe that none of them will involve you."
Zhongli said calmly, "If there is such a story, I will look forward to it. It will certainly be interesting—more interesting than playing with birds."
Barbatos: "All you think about is playing with birds…"
As the gods bickered and shed tears, Yae Miko sat to the side, writing continuously. The more she wrote, the brighter her smile grew.
If these light novels were compiled into books, they would surely become bestsellers in Inazuma—no, across all of Teyvat. As the editor-in-chief of Yae Publishing House, her name would spread to every corner of the continent.
Thinking of this, Yae Miko looked at the storyteller on stage again, as if looking at a money tree. A smug smile appeared on her lips.
...
Now, in another corner, Hu Tao, Qiqi, Shenhe, and Keqing had also listened carefully to the story of Orobashi.
They had not imagined the truth of history was like this. There were so many hidden stories behind Orobashi's death.
Keqing sighed. "Fortunately, there is reincarnation. Orobashi did not truly die. He will surely be reborn again."
"But—have you ever thought, after so many cycles of erosion, how much longer can his soul endure?"
Hu Tao's interest was immediately piqued. A thoughtful look appeared on her face.
"How would we mortals know about the affairs of gods? I was just thinking—with so many people dying in that war, how big must their funerals have been? It must have been a huge business."