The readers were starting to miss Arataki Itto. Without him, the story was becoming increasingly oppressive. That cheerful, sunny boy who brought light was gone.
In the book, the group pressed forward and found a fourth letter. Its contents roughly stated that the ferocious beasts trapped in this place had lost their ability to move, while the group grew increasingly exhausted.
Everyone desperately missed home. Perhaps because of this longing, the surrounding space had transformed to resemble their "homeland."
This confirmed the readers' speculations: time was frozen in this place, but exhaustion accumulated, and the effect was even more pronounced on Abyssal creatures.
The "Boyang" mentioned in the letter was Yelan's ancestor. Her ancestor wasn't called a "Yaksha," mind you.
Back then, Yelan's ancestors had gone to battle. One returned half-mad, while Boyang was the one who never came back.
[Yelan said: "I have a feeling… the clues are coming together. Sooner or later, we'll uncover the truth."]
["It's just that I don't know what form this space will use to reveal the answer."]
Indeed, the readers were also curious. How would Shikikan present the answer?
Would it be through text, or another "comic" segment?
The group continued onward, and this time, the space transformed into a part of the Abyss.
[Yelan: "There's the aura of the Abyss, but… no enemies?"]
Word spread: Yelan said she had no opponents in the Abyss.
Indeed, no enemies appeared here. Instead, the Traveler's brother, Aether, showed up.
In reality, Lumine's eyes widened. Fortunately, in the story, after she chased after him, her brother vanished. It seemed to be just a phantom of her memory, not the real person, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
Wait, why am I relieved? It's all Lucian's fault—I'm terrified that if my brother appears, he'll get hurt.
In the story, Lumine couldn't catch up to her brother but discovered the Fantastic Compass—not the massive one in the sky, but a smaller, handheld one.
By digging and digging within the giant compass, they finally unearthed this smaller one.
This "treasure" was exactly what Yanfei was looking for. Even better, Yelan was quite familiar with it and knew how to operate it.
However, the Fantastic Compass had been used before, and unlocking it would take some time. The group decided to leave this secret realm for now.
[Yelan: "Within yin and yang, amidst the five directions. Water, fire, wind, and thunder, cycling endlessly. Wielding the seven stars upon the earth, the three gates open, meridians flowing freely…"]
The readers couldn't understand, but the Fantastic Compass was unlocked, revealing a set of notes inside.
[My name is Boyang. I record all I know here, hoping that those who read these words in the future will understand my experiences.]
Everyone still remembered who Boyang was—he was mentioned in the Thousand Rocks soldiers' letters.
[My younger brother, Rongzhao, and I were ordered by the Qixing to bring the Fantastic Compass to the Chasm to aid the Thousand Rocks soldiers.]
[However, the beasts here were utterly terrifying, and our team suffered heavy casualties. If not for a Yaksha's intervention, both my brother and I would have perished on the spot.]
That Yaksha was none other than Marshal Vritras, Bosacius.
[This Yaksha had four arms, a frenzied divine appearance, and could no longer recall his own name. In his madness, he often referred to those around him as "Conqueror of Demons," "Menogias," and other titles.]
Xiao's eyes lost their spark. Venti hurriedly blew a "breeze" his way.
It's a good thing Venti happened to be around—he was actually doing something serious this time, keeping busy.
Xiao's karmic debt nearly flared up. Even after losing his memories and forgetting who he was, Bosacius still remembered their names.
Yet in Bosacius' final moments, Xiao couldn't be by his side.
[…Too many have died. The war must end soon. Rongzhao and I agreed that I would take the Fantastic Compass and lead a portion of the Thousand Rocks soldiers to follow the Yaksha into the underground palace.]
[…The gains are significant. We must try!]
This mission was extremely dangerous, almost certainly a one-way trip, but the plan was too critical to the war's outcome. Someone had to carry it out!
Those who entered the palace were as good as dead, while those who remained on the surface had a chance to live. It hardly seemed fair.
After entering the palace, Boyang noticed the entrance was sealing shut. At that moment, retreating was the only way to survive, but he couldn't say it aloud. If he did, it wouldn't be a do-or-die effort.
In the face of crisis, only duty remained!
As a fangshi and a minor leader, Boyang stepped into the palace without hesitation.
It was Bosacius, though mad, who discovered that the palace could weaken the beasts, his combat instincts still razor-sharp.
The Fantastic Compass was the key to the seal. The Boyang brothers—one outside, one inside—worked together to complete it.
As the elder brother, Boyang left the chance to return home to his younger sibling. He stayed in the palace with Bosacius and the Thousand Rocks soldiers.
[The palace is bizarre beyond measure. Only I and the Yaksha remain alive in Liyue's forces… I don't know how much time has passed. The Yaksha is gravely wounded and, with his madness, likely won't last long. Though I'm still lucid, I feel dazed.]
Boyang must have been in great pain. His comrades died one by one, and the only Yaksha left, muddled by memory, was frenzied.
After spending so much time together, that Yaksha couldn't even remember his name, only calling him "Conqueror of Demons" or "Menogias."
Yet even so, this was the only person he could still talk to.
In such a situation, perhaps the one who survives the longest is the one who suffers the most.
[The beasts must be dead by now, right? We've finally outlasted them… I've walked so far, but I can't get out… The Yaksha is dead. I'm the only one left.]
In the end, the only person he could talk to died as well.
He was the one who survived until the end.
[…I saw my family, my wife and child… They walked toward me, passed through me, and vanished.]
Lucian even drew an illustration for this. Boyang reached out, but his wife and child seemed not to see him, walking straight past and through his body.
Boyang turned back, stunned. Where had his wife and child gone? He didn't know.
But perhaps, at the end of the road, there was his cenotaph.
[…I must be mad too! Otherwise, how could I see my family, who are far away in Liyue Harbor? …I want to go home so badly… Can I really get out?]
By this point, many readers were already in tears. The text alone conveyed Boyang's despair.
Alone in this palace, enduring solitude, awaiting death—what psychological torment.
[…Rongzhao, sometimes I hate you. Why wasn't it you left here to suffer this torture? But Rongzhao… I'm the elder brother. I'm glad I could let you live.]
[…I'm so tired… I can't think…]
Human nature, human nature!
It's both ordinary and profound. This single sentence carried the deepest emotion.
This one line not only made readers feel Boyang's greatness but also realize that he was just an "ordinary person" like them.
He was an ordinary person, but also a hero. Like Arataki Itto, "A hero, huh… I'll be the one to take that role…"