Ganyu returned to Liyue.
Liyue Harbor was still the same Liyue Harbor, as bustling as ever. It was now late spring; in the blue-stone alleys, the sweet osmanthus was in full bloom, dappled floral shadows dancing on the white walls.
She walked through the alleys of Liyue Harbor. The heat of summer was setting in, and a summer festival was being held.
As the secretary of the Yuehai Pavilion, she seemed to have many things to do, much work to handle—for thousands of years, she had found escape in work. But now, as the Karma in her heart emptied, she felt her thoughts had emptied as well.
She felt that work wasn't that important anymore.
The matter of Bosacius... had not yet been fully disclosed to the public, but rumors had more or less circulated among the Qixing and the Eight Trades of Liyue. Ganyu gazed at the quiet and peaceful streets, suddenly feeling the weight of an impending storm.
Where should she go? What should she do...? She had absolutely no idea. She thought she was familiar with the mortal world, but in truth, she didn't understand the mundane world at all.
The osmanthus at the alley entrance rustled in the wind. She continued walking along the blue-stone alley paved with crushed red petals. Sounds of hawkers shouting came from the streets on both sides: candied hawthorns, sugar paintings, some exquisite trinkets, and fireworks for sale.
The mortal festival was as lively as ever.
And just as strange.
Every festival in Liyue—whether it was the procedure, the preparation, or the budget... all had to be handled by the Yuehai Pavilion. Ganyu planned every festival and knew everything about the latter, yet she remained a stranger to it—because she had never been.
She had forgotten when she last visited the mortal world. She only remembered fireworks exploding, dyeing ten miles in red makeup, thin blue smoke, a faint smoky scent. She walked to the center of the bustling flower street; that rough, large hand held hers steadily. They walked through the flowing sea of people, the hazy firelight of lanterns reflecting on their profiles. That day was as hazy as a photograph.
That was a very distant memory.
She tried hard not to think about those things.
Ganyu left Liyue City, walking aimlessly.
The sun was slowly setting. Sunset covered the plains; the crimson afterglow washed the wilderness with a touch of desolation. Walking on, she arrived at that desolate slope. At the end of the bleak wilderness lay an unmarked grave mound.
Wild grass grew rampant; green moss and vines knotted layer upon layer.
Walking on, she arrived here.
Ganyu knew, of course, that the real Bosacius was not buried on this desolate hillside. His body had become dust with the light, turning into the mountain range supporting Liyue—and at the same time, that mountain had crumbled in her hands.
"Sister Ganyu, you came. That's good. Someone came to see Big Brother again. That's really good."
"Don't worry, Big Brother won't go hungry. Indarias burns lots and lots of money every year, enough for him to buy plenty of wine... Let me tell you, Sister Ganyu, Big Brother actually isn't lonely. During the Lantern Rite, Xiao comes to pay respects in the afternoon, then Bonanus. Brother Menogias comes the latest, waiting until dusk... I didn't know this before. Don't you think they're too much?"
Indarias squatted halfway, her slender fingers picking away the vines before the grave mound, then removing the green moss. While doing these things, she said to Ganyu:
"And now... Sister Ganyu is here too. Big Brother liked Sister Ganyu the most; he will be very happy."
Indarias said softly. She lowered her head, shoulders trembling gently, but she was smiling—a bright, radiant smile. "That's great, Senior Brother. Everyone... everyone is finally reunited again."
"Two thousand four hundred years. Everyone has come."
Ganyu stared at the grave mound. "...Only I haven't."
"Only I... was hating him."
Only she hadn't.
Every year the Yakshas came, but she, the closest junior sister, had never looked at him once.
"That couldn't be helped..." Indarias pressed her thin lips together. "That was Karma..."
"That wasn't something that couldn't be helped."
Ganyu shook her head gently, her voice low. "You all received his heart, but I alone never knew his thoughts and pain. I saw his soul once, but it was already shattered."
"Now the Karma is gone, everything will be better," Indarias whispered.
"The Karma is gone, and the stone has shattered too."
This was the ending.
Ganyu spoke no more. She wanted to leave; she didn't want to stay any longer. She wanted to return to the Yuehai Pavilion. There were many matters in Liyue to handle; she needed to keep her brain busy.
"Mt. Aocang," Indarias asked. "Won't Sister Ganyu go back to Mt. Aocang to have a look?"
Ganyu did not reply. She walked toward the distance, the warm twilight enveloping her back. She walked further and further away, as if escaping.
"...I'm leaving."
————
[Covenant Four: Go to Mt. Aocang in Jueyun Karst, offer three dishes—Pearl Jade Soup, Mora Meat, Matsutake Meat Rolls—and perform three kowtows and three bows]
Cloud Retainer put down this fragment.
The dying sun spread its color.
Blood-red afterglow covered the burning clouds. Half the twilight clouds, half the sky dark—casting a gloomy, deep twilight shadow on Mt. Aocang. Cloud Retainer watched the sunset fall, the dark red corona slowly worn away by the horizon at the limit of her vision.
The sky darkened. Layers of cooking smoke rose from the distant mortal world. Green peaks dyed into a thousand layers of jade; crimson clouds shrouding ten thousand piles of smoke.
It was time for the common folk to rest at sunset and light their stoves.
She stood up, her emerald-green long hair trailing naturally to her ankles, and walked slowly toward a courtyard. She looked at the stone stools and stone table covered in dust. For the first time in a long while, she wanted to do something.
She wanted to cook.
She felt somewhat weary.
Perhaps when one gets old, one always feels weary... With nothing to do, she watched the projection from that day again. Over these two thousand years, the Adeptus had watched it many times. Those were Bosacius's parting words, faithfully recorded by the array.
'I will fall to madness. I hope you will take care from now on.'
What exactly happened two thousand four hundred years ago? Cloud Retainer already had a faint answer in her heart. She didn't know if that answer was correct. She liked that answer, and just a month ago, that answer was confirmed.
But Cloud Retainer felt no more joy.
If mortals were born only to die, then why reincarnate...? It only increased the loneliness.
Increased the loneliness.
She caressed the stone table, her pale fingertips brushing over the dust. The slightly cold and rough texture of the stone penetrated her skin. Everything was so familiar, everything was as it used to be. Cloud Retainersuddenly froze, seeming to smell something.
She suddenly felt that aura, a very familiar aura... The scattered stone had turned into sand, but the sand would return eventually.
Cloud Retainer turned around. At the time when the setting sun and the horizon rubbed against each other, the boy stood before the sunset. The smoky sunlight tangled with his hair blowing in the wind. The boy had already lost his heart, yet Cloud Retainer distinctly heard a familiar heartbeat.
And that... familiar scent.
Incredible.
"Bo... Bosacius?" she said consciously.
"Bosacius is dead." The boy shook his head. "He can never come back. And my name is Seino Yaku."
He was never Bosacius.
Bosacius could never come back.
Bosacius was already dead.
"Is that so," Cloud Retainer whispered.
"I came... to say goodbye," the boy said. "I am leaving Liyue."
Cloud Retainer noticed then... the boy was carrying a food box. A faint fragrance leaked from the gaps of the box—the plain and elegant scent of tofu and greens, seeming to cleanse the surrounding air.
"Is Ganyu not here?" Seino Yaku was somewhat surprised. "I thought she would return to Mt. Aocang."
"In The Chasm, I promised her," the boy said earnestly. "To make a good meal of Jewelry Soup for her. This covenant is still valid. So I came."
Seino Yaku was heartless and carefree, but regarding covenants alone, he would definitely abide by them. Anything he promised, he would definitely complete.
Light promises, or perhaps they should be called 'Cleared Promises' (Seino Yaku). Once the promises made are cleared, all talk ceases; the entanglements of the past are cleared, and from then on, there are no burdens. After this, it would be farewell forever.
"She has never returned." Cloud Retainer shook her head gently, her golden eyes reflecting Seino Yaku's face. "Perhaps, she will come in a while."
Is that so.
Then they were destined to miss each other.
Missing is just missing; no one was at fault.
He couldn't wait in Mt. Aocang forever, because someone else was waiting for him. Dusk had gathered to its end. He placed the food box on the stone stool.
Actually, missing each other was fine too. Not meeting was also good.
Regret is also a form of completeness.
Because Bosacius was dead. He was not Bosacius. The entanglements of the past should end here.
The Archon was right. Everyone needed to move forward. Ganyu also needed to move forward. The Archon prepared this [Trial] not just to sever Liyue's past and filth, but to sever everyone's past and filth.
Already dead. Dead spirits should leave; they should not form bonds, only increasing others' loneliness.
He couldn't stay in Liyue, nor could he wallow in Bosacius's past any longer. Otherwise, [Erosion] would consume him.
"I'll leave the food box here..." Seino Yaku whispered. "I'll trouble Cloud Retainer to handle it for me. I am already dead; please tell her that."
"I have to go. Someone... is waiting for me."
Cloud Retainer understood what the boy wanted to express.
The boy coughed lightly, his face somewhat pale.
His body was still very weak. Although the Karma had been removed, the filth had truly visited, and residues of filth had accumulated in his body. He was also a truly heartless person.
The burning clouds ignited completely, spreading across the sky. Heavy clouds reflected the fire-like sun. Seino Yaku bowed respectfully to Cloud Retainer, turned around, and began to walk down the mountain.
Cloud Retainer watched Seino Yaku's receding figure. Only at this moment did she finally feel the reality: Bosacius had truly left and would never return. Time was like this setting sun sinking into dusk; the desolate afterglow gradually swallowed everything in the world. Yet even though she knew, even though she understood, she still called out to the leaving Seino Yaku.
"Boy..."
They had always lacked a goodbye.
She paused. "...Can you call me Master one last time?"
Seino Yaku stopped and lowered his head. After a long while, he turned around in the afterglow of the setting sun. Just like three thousand years ago, when Bosacius answered the Archon's contract and walked down the mountain for the first time—that spirited youth in his prime, his whole being seeming to shine—
"Master."
Seino Yaku cupped his hands in a salute. He lowered his head and said earnestly: "Your disciple is going down the mountain."
"Mn, good... good." Cloud Retainer whispered, "Walk forward. Don't look back."
Walk forward. Don't look back.
Seino Yaku walked down the mountain.
——
Unknown time passed.
Dusk had scattered completely; evening had arrived.
The Jewelry Soup was cold.
"But the recipe for Jewelry Soup is very simple. Your days are long; you will always meet the next... you will always meet the next disciple who can make Jewelry Soup."
...
Ganyu stared blankly at that final 'record'.
She had returned to Mt. Aocang after all. She just suddenly felt she should return; an inexplicable impulse in her heart, that throb touched her to leave Liyue.
When she returned, she happened to see her master watching this impression.
Actually, Cloud Retainer hadn't deliberately avoided Ganyu. Today, when all truths were revealed, she had no need to hide anything anymore.
Cloud Retainer looked at Ganyu, not knowing what comforting words to say. Even the eloquent Adeptus was somewhat at a loss for words. Finally, she just gently patted Ganyu's shoulder and whispered:
"This was Bosacius coming to say goodbye to us. It was recorded by the array... Do you remember that stone table? When he was little, he liked to put food on the stone stool the most. This is the last dish he made... really..."
Bosacius was dead.
"I need to be quiet for a while," Ganyu whispered.
So the vast abode was left with her alone. The cold and damp stone walls were entangled with a desolate aura. As the afterglow dissipated completely, stone shadows piled up in panic. Ganyu pursed her lips and lowered her head.
"Ganyu is entrusted to you. Please remind her to eat more."
"Please take good care of her."
"I am a useless senior brother. I am also a useless disciple."
"Sorry. Apologies."
"But I don't regret it. If I had to do it again, I would still do this."
[If I had to do it again, I would still do this...]
Ganyu carefully chewed on the last sentence.
So the foreshadowing of all stories had already been laid at the beginning, and the ending of the story was doomed at the start. So no matter how much regret, one could never walk out of the outline of fate.
At this moment, Ganyu was still clutching a letter in her hand—Bosacius's letter. But this letter wasn't written to her; it was written to Morax. When Sal Terrae was destroyed, Bosacius sent this letter to the Archon, asking the Archon to take in those survivors.
In other words, this was the [Suicide Note] left by Bosacius at the end.
This letter wasn't for her; it was for Zhongli.
Just like the final farewell... wasn't for her either.
[Zhongli, hello]
[Sal Terrae is cooler than Liyue. The summer sun is just right. When I wrote this letter, I had just planted a seed and buried a bottle of sea salt. I believe in some future summer, refreshing sea salt will cover this land again]
But sea salt covered the land... Ganyu gently gripped the corner of the letter... where did that seed go?
That seed withered.
[When you receive this letter, I might already be dead. Ha, really... I've finally retired; I can rest well]
[But you can't retire yet, haha]
[The survivors of Sal Terrae are entrusted to you. Just push those matters onto me; a dead man's reputation isn't worth money. Many things are entrusted to you too]
[The people of Liyue, the subjects of Sal Terrae, those Yakshas, my Master... and my Junior Sister, Ganyu—all are entrusted to you. You must remind them to eat well]
[Especially Ganyu. I know that girl; she tends to drill into dead ends. I worry about her the most. Stubborn... truly a junior sister who doesn't let one rest easy]
[I hope... I hope she can go on strongly]
[I hope she can forget me and keep walking forward]
Ganyu lowered her head. She wanted to say something, but nothing came out. She might have felt sad, but her emotions had gone blank.
[A person's true death is being completely forgotten. But if my death brings pain to those I love, then let me die completely]
[I don't know what to do. Maybe I've already failed]
[Sorry, my friend. I really want... to drink one more cup with you]
This was everything.
The letter was short, the handwriting distorted, because Bosacius was already corrupted then.
Ganyu put down the letter and finally noticed the food box by the table, and that bowl of... Jewelry Soup in the box.
But she came back too late. The Jewelry Soup was cold.
Food is the taste of memory, but cold food has lost its original flavor. Memory is dead; she could no longer distinguish the dead taste.
——Just as she realized too late. Late enough that the person waiting for her had already left. Late enough that no one would ever wait for her again.
She opened the food box. The cold tofu would no longer emit the familiar fragrance. She swallowed the greens, but could taste nothing. She lowered her head, shoulders trembling gently, murmuring softly:
"So cold... really..."
"So icy cold."
She wasn't late just this once; she was late every time.
When she could no longer taste the flavor of the past, she stared at the clear soup and found ripples splashing on the calm surface.
Ah...
She finally understood.
——Those were her tears.
Only regret remained.
She lowered her head.
People often speak a lovers' prattle: 'Wait for you until the seas run dry and the rocks rot.' But when the ocean dries up, when that rock thoroughly rots away—when the seas have truly dried and the stones have rotted, two thousand four hundred years later—then the stone will no longer wait for you.
Tears dripped into the soup, spreading like smiles, adding a bitter, salty taste to this dead flavor. Only regret remained.
Deep in the night after dusk dispersed.
The sky was already deep.
That stone—Seino Yaku finally returned to that small wooden cottage.
That small wooden cottage, where firelight melted a small hole in the dark night.
The cottage was still lit, the lamp was still burning, and someone was still waiting for him.
"I'm back," Seino Yaku whispered, and pushed open the wooden door.