Inside the house.
Lying on the bed, Mekalos, who had just been a bit groggy, instantly snapped awake.
What was Lu Heng saying?
He said he picked up a Dendro Archon?!
Was it the Dendro Archon she knew?!
Furina immediately rolled out of bed, threw on a random nightgown, and opened the door.
Then, she saw Lu Heng holding the hand of a little loli.
A closer look confirmed it—no mistake!
Furina and the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata didn't know each other.
But the divine aura on the latter was unmistakable!
The moment they met, they could recognize each other's identities!
It was the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata!
But how did she end up here?!
Furina looked at Lu Heng in shock and asked, "How did you… bring the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata here?"
Judging by the faint reluctance on the little Dendro Archon's face, Furina guessed the method of her arrival probably wasn't ideal.
"My luck was just too good."
Lu Heng casually explained the operating principle of his Soul-Snatching Technique, then shrugged. "You know me. In situations like this… well, you get what I mean, right?"
Furina and Lu Heng locked eyes.
She truly understood him.
The way Lu Heng was looking at the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata now was the same way he had looked at her back then.
A sense of injustice.
Basically, he just couldn't let it go.
With a little thought, Furina figured it out.
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's original fate must have been tragic, which was why Lu Heng felt so unsettled.
And as it happened, he now possessed the power to rewrite everything.
Since he'd already caught her…
Well, she was here now…
Furina facepalmed with a wry smile. Naturally, she stood by her husband.
She walked over to the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, her face softening into a gentle, child-coaxing smile. "Greater Lord, don't be afraid. He's actually not a bad person… Wait, no—he is a good person. Anyway, we won't harm you!"
You two seem a bit off!
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata blinked.
She was an incredibly intelligent being.
Even though neither of them had said much, she had already pieced things together.
"Actually, it doesn't have to be so troublesome."
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata wasn't close to them at all. If she accepted their help just like that, she felt it would be an unrepayable favor.
And if a favor couldn't be repaid, wouldn't that mean she'd be trapped?
If the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had truly wanted to live, she wouldn't have chosen her original path in the first place.
So, in her view, as long as she died, everything would be resolved.
But one look at her expression, and Lu Heng knew exactly what she was thinking.
Was this line of thought correct?
Absolutely not!
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, you probably don't know what Teyvat's original fate was like, do you?" Lu Heng sighed.
Thinking of Sumeru's future, he couldn't help but feel a surge of frustration.
Damn it.
Before the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was completely forgotten, Nahida had been so adorable—soft, sweet, meek, and kind-hearted.
But after the Greater Lord was entirely erased from memory, what the hell was that?
A mess of contradictions!
At least, in Lu Heng's eyes, that version of Nahida felt… unfamiliar.
"Here!"
"Listen to me!"
Lu Heng directly picked up the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and plopped her onto the sofa.
Then, he began, "Your plan was ultimately executed, and the Irminsul was indeed saved, but…"
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata listened quietly.
As she listened, her expression gradually stiffened.
Huh?
"You're saying… Nahida gave someone else the authority to modify the Irminsul?"
Did I hear that wrong?
Or did Lu Heng misspeak?
That was the Irminsul!
As the Dendro Archon, having operational authority over the Irminsul was normal.
But that authority should never be given to others!
Did Nahida really not fear the other Archons holding her accountable?
After all, deleting something from the Irminsul could affect the entire world!
Who could accept having a specific memory or person abruptly erased from their minds?!
This was absolutely unacceptable!
Crossing that line could spark a war!
And there was another point!
After she was forgotten, the young Archon she had placed her hopes in actually…
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's small face twisted into a complicated expression.
She was at a loss for words.
When Nahida believed that all the great deeds in history attributed to the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata were actually her own…
Wisdom failing to match a powerful heart would lead to errors!
Lacking a clear understanding of oneself was terrifying.
And when one's self-perception was abruptly elevated without any realization, it became even worse.
A person with incomplete and immature judgment…
If she believed all the great historical events were her own doing, a terrifying conclusion would emerge:
—My decisions are correct!
No one would question her because everyone believed she was great, omniscient, and omnipotent.
In such an environment, without anyone to correct her, things would spiral out of control.
She might not even realize what she was doing, but as long as she convinced herself that her actions followed logic, then they must be right!
If she believed it was right, then it had to be executed.
As for others… if it was the "Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's" decision, it must be correct.
Even if some aspects were unclear, surely the "Greater Lord" had deeper intentions—mere mortals shouldn't pry.
And so…
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata fell silent.
Furina also fell silent.
Lu Heng's tone was somber. "Do you still want to die now?"
"…No."
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata slowly came back to her senses and shook her head vigorously. "I have to live!"
Her current state wasn't bad. As long as she didn't actively send the corrupted data back to the Irminsul, nothing would go wrong.
So, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata decided she had to live!
Whether for the sake of the young Nahida or for Sumeru… she had to stay alive!
A trace of lingering fear flashed in her eyes.
So this was how terrifying it would be if she were completely forgotten…
Lu Heng smiled in satisfaction.
Could the Greater Lord have foreseen Nahida turning out like that?
Given her wisdom, she might have had an inkling, but she truly had no other options.
She had to make the world forget her—only then could the forbidden knowledge be thoroughly eradicated.
Before, it had been a last resort, the only possible solution.
But now…
As the saying goes, times have changed!
With a new choice available, why stubbornly cling to an obviously flawed path?
The God of Wisdom would never choose a clearly wrong answer when alternatives existed!
"Thank you for telling me all this."
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had suspected something like this before, but she hadn't dared to dwell on it.
Because if she did, she might have made a different choice for her people's sake.
And that alternative might have been worse.
If the forbidden knowledge spread again… there would be almost no one left to stop it.
But Lu Heng's appearance showed her a new path.
It was better to live. At least while she was alive, her successor remained sweet and adorable.
"That's more like it." Lu Heng nodded slightly.
He felt satisfied.
This sense of altering someone else's fate was as addictive as growing stronger.
This was the fulfillment of making a difference in Teyvat!
"So impressive~"
Furina switched into full praise mode for Lu Heng.
Lu Heng's smile widened.
This woman was just too good at this—her emotional support was off the charts!
After basking in the praise for a while, Lu Heng said, "Now, let's figure out how to address the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's issue."
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T/N:
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