Lin Ze stared at the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles for a few seconds, then nodded.
"I agree."
The moment his consent was given, an invisible ripple swept over him.
It felt like a barrier—yet also like a membrane—attempting to draw him in.
Lin Ze didn't resist.
On the contrary, curiosity flickered in his eyes.
As he fully entered the barrier, the scenery of Celestia changed abruptly.
The clear azure sky vanished.
In its place was a dark crimson firmament, riddled with cracks like shattered glass.
Upon the land of Celestia, countless figures could be seen sitting cross-legged on the ground, all seemingly immersed in cultivation. Brilliant golden radiance streamed from their bodies, rising straight into the void beyond—vanishing into an unknown destination.
Lin Ze immediately began to analyze what he was seeing.
He wanted to know what, exactly, was going on here.
"Planning to use your ability?" the Sustainer said calmly.
"That's fine. It'll make things easier to explain anyway."
She had noticed Lin Ze stop and stare into the sky, and easily guessed his intention. She made no move to stop him—just as she said, it would simplify matters.
Very soon, under the influence of Black Flag, Lin Ze grasped the truth.
Those pillars of light were all being funneled into the void, reinforcing space itself.
The cracks in the sky were gradually being repaired—
because of these people.
Yet at the same time, new fissures continued to form.
"So that's how it is…" Lin Ze murmured.
"So Teyvat really isn't a planet at all—just a continent."
"But then… why are all those celestial bodies outside so utterly shattered?"
He had always assumed Teyvat was a globe mostly covered in ocean, with only one major landmass.
Instead, it truly was just a single continental fragment.
And on the other side of it—
was the Abyss.
"Originally, Teyvat was a planet," the Sustainer replied.
"But after a great war, it was shattered into this state."
"After the war ended, the Heavenly Principles no longer had the power to restore it to its original form."
"Too many spatial fractures were created—too dense, too widespread—so maintaining the current structure became the only option."
As she spoke, she raised her right hand, forming a projection:
a complete, intact Teyvat as it once was.
"Compared to the past, most of the fractures have already been repaired."
"But as long as the Abyss exists on the reverse side of the continent, full restoration remains impossible."
Lin Ze nodded slowly as he listened.
A planet shattered by war—
that, at least, was something he could understand.
If he wanted to, he could do the same now.
"Was it because of the war between the First Throne and the Second Throne?" he asked.
"And judging by the current situation… the First Throne won?"
"You know about the War of the Thrones?"
A new voice echoed through the void—indistinct, ethereal.
"No one won," it continued.
"Our powers were nearly equal, mutually restraining one another."
"So we reached a temporary accord."
"I repair the space on this side."
"She repairs the space on the other."
"For now, we each govern half of Teyvat."
The Sustainer immediately bowed respectfully toward the center of Celestia.
"Then the other Throne is currently on the Abyssal side?" Lin Ze asked.
Though unseen, he was certain the other party could hear him.
Looks like I've stumbled onto something big.
"Yes," the voice replied.
"That region is known to the people of Teyvat as the Abyss."
"It contains more monsters—and beings who, through exposure to abyssal power, have either willingly or unwillingly aligned themselves with it."
"They retain intelligence."
"Their adaptability surpasses that of humans, and in such an environment, powerful individuals emerge more easily."
"Which is why her restoration progresses faster."
As the words faded, a spatial passage opened before Lin Ze.
On the other side stood a presence—its aura unstable, fluctuating between strength and weakness—
the Heavenly Principles itself.
Lin Ze stared.
Then blinked.
Wait…
Isn't this just a super-sized Paimon?!
So that's it.
No wonder Paimon always felt off.
Turns out she really was related to the Heavenly Principles!
"You have it too?" the Heavenly Principles asked.
"I do."
"Then we can speak plainly."
"What's the deal with the twins?"
"Outsiders," she replied.
"Chosen by us."
"They continue the conflict between the Heavenly Principles and the Abyss."
"Our successors."
Lin Ze's expression shifted.
"So that line—
'The Sustainer is fading, the Creator has not yet arrived.
But the world will not burn again, for you shall ascend the seat of godhood'—"
"That's what it meant?"
He rubbed his chin, surprised.
So the Traveler was being used as a piece on the board—
a new way to determine the final victor.
"By 'Sustainer,' you don't mean her, do you?" Lin Ze asked, glancing at the Sustainer nearby.
"You mean yourselves?"
"You're dying?"
"Yes," the Heavenly Principles answered calmly.
"That war ended with no winners."
"We were all gravely wounded."
"The shattered worlds you see beyond—those were destroyed by us."
"We changed battlefields again and again."
"It was… intense."
She spoke of her own impending death without the slightest emotional ripple.
"So that's why there's a 'False Sky,'" Lin Ze said.
"To hide the broken stars?"
"Yes."
"Paimon—she's your avatar?"
"No," came the reply.
"She is the continuation of life."
"You may think of her as my daughter—
newly born, unaware of everything."
Lin Ze understood.
Just like Greater Lord Rukkhadevata and Lesser Lord Kusanali.
"So Teyvat isn't exactly a world bubble hanging from the Imaginary Tree?"
"Yes… and no."
"Using certain powers, I anchored it to the Tree."
"It neither sinks into the Sea nor draws nourishment."
"In the end… it may grow back."
"Or it may fall away completely."
"…You're a riddler," Lin Ze said flatly.
"I cannot say more."
"How long do you have left?"
"A long time."
"Perhaps by then… even Paimon will have eroded."
"Need me to help?"
"No."
"We can manage."
"You're enemies?"
"…And friends."
"So you fought long enough to develop feelings, huh?" Lin Ze sighed.
"And the False Sky just stays up like this?"
"When we perish," she answered,
"the dispersing power will spread into the stars—repairing them."
"The Seven—are they your pieces?"
"No."
"You didn't script everything?"
"No."
Question after question.
Answer after answer.
The Heavenly Principles hid nothing.
And that, more than anything, unsettled Lin Ze.
Finally, he asked what had been bothering him most.
"Why tell me all this?"
"Because you are stronger than us," she said plainly.
"Your power is incomprehensible."
"Concealment would gain nothing."
"It would only breed suspicion."
"And might push you toward the Abyss."
"There are many reasons."
"These are the main ones."
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