Chapter 1078: Wufarose 3.1 (124)

Of course.

But you seem to underestimate the power of 'companions'." Eden slightly curled the corners of her mouth, "'Companions' are Bai'e's most important strength; perhaps no one could defeat that black-clad swordsman in single combat, but if we could gather everyone's strength... it might be worth a try."

——

""Then what about you, Wandi? What did you see in that trial… and what is your fear?""

Wandi did not directly answer, but instead corrected his statement: 'First, there is no word for "fear" in the Xuanfeng people's dictionary.'

Bai'e let out a light chuckle: '…Does your dictionary perhaps not have any words at all?'

Wandi continued: 'Then, I saw Aohema in it… and… my former comrades.'

"Hefisins, Padikas, Leon, Ptolemy, and Bokseta… ever since I returned from the Nether Sea, those five have constantly guarded my left and right. During the years of exile, they lived and died with me. That decade was tumultuous, yet worth remembering. Every night we would sit around the campfire, freely drinking honey wine and singing our hearts out…"

In those memories, stars dotted the firmament, the wind over the open plains carrying the taste of rust. The campfire crackled, orange-red flames licking the night sky, stretching the silhouettes of the six people alternately long and short.

"Hefisins always teased me for drinking honey wine with goat's milk, saying it mixed the bright red blood into something unsavory. He was slight in build, yet on the battlefield he was ferocious beyond compare, slaying enemies like cutting hemp."

"Padikas was skilled at medicine, concocting all sorts of folk remedies and odd prescriptions; Leon excelled at running, being the most trusted messenger. Ptolemy loved to nitpick words; when leaving Xuanfeng, he pilfered many ancient books from the library—all mine, so no need to return them. As for Bokseta… heh, he didn't like to talk, but he played the zither superbly."

Bai'e: 'These five… I'm hearing their names for the first time.'

"Of course. Before the lone Xuanfeng army joined forces with Aohema, they had already died in battle."

"First was Padikas; he died in the second cultivation month, struck in the abdomen by a poisoned arrow from the Radon people. His prescriptions could save everyone, yet he could not save himself."

Padikas collapsed in his arms, breathing his last: 'Maidemos, do not grieve. I have won honor, repaying our old enemies with a glorious death…'

"Leon died in the fifth winter, when Ai Diliya's blizzard lasted a full three months. On the night the storm was at its fiercest, the enemy launched an attack."

Bai'e stared for a moment: 'Ai Diliya… was that the city-state where Xiedie formerly lived?'

"That's the fanatical cult; they regard death as lightly as the Xuanfeng people do, but they lack reverence for honor."

——

Genshin Impact.

One can imagine how harrowing that 'expedition' was.

Seeing such a heavy scene, the atmosphere in the 'Angel's Gift' tavern grew somewhat solemn; Falga set down his wine cup and couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.

"Commander Falga, was your expedition to Nordkalay really that brutal?" a knight left behind in Mondstadt asked, stepping forward.

"What are you thinking? Of course not. At least in Nordkalay we could still drink our homeland's dandelion wine and have a chance to send letters to Mondstadt's kin."

Falga stroked his chin, as if recalling his previous expedition: '…Although I said that, this campaign lasting several years was certainly no easy feat. And precisely because of that, I now better understand how dire Wandi's situation was back then.'

"A lone army, fighting without supplies, without reinforcements, without any backup, advancing mile by mile and losing troops along the way—this severely tests Wandi's mindset as commander and demands extremely high psychological resilience from the soldiers. Deep in enemy territory, total annihilation is not surprising."

"But perhaps it is precisely because of this bloody experience that Wandi does not want to drag his people back into the embrace of 【Conflict】." Vindi held the cup in his hands, "…He has already thought it through clearly; all that's left is to make that decision."

Speaking, Vindi suddenly shifted his tone, glancing at the man across the table: 'Besides, Falga, if it were you, would you take over the fire seed of the Conflict Titan?'

Falga froze for a moment, pointing at himself: 'Me?'

"Mm-hmm."

"Hmm… I will inherit it. After all, humanity now stands at the moment of life and death; delay would only bring worse outcomes."

Falga tipped his head back and drained the cup in one gulp.

"But my choice might differ from Wandi's; I will bring a portion of elite Xuanfeng soldiers back to Xuanfengcheng to resist the Black Tide alongside me—just as I chose to embark on that expedition years ago. I have always believed that resisting the Black Tide should not be the duty of only demigods or golden descendants; every soldier bears the obligation to join this war that concerns humanity's survival."

——

"They were surrounded and intercepted in the bottomless swamp; Leon, covering the rear, had his legs cut off. He vanished into foreign soil, leaving no remains."

"Leon's dying whisper still echoes in Wandi's ears: 'How wonderful, Maidemos… I can finally bring the news of your kingship back to the Netherworld…'"

"Then, on the twentieth dusk after that, we finally counterattacked into Ai Diliya's city, accepted the tyrant's peace offer, but the diehard rebels who clung to the city set an ambush… Ptolemy and his cavalry, before they could even taste victory, were utterly wiped out. The burning, collapsed obelisk grove became their burial mound."

"Ptolemy can no longer flip through his favorite ancient books; his life is but a candle in the wind: 'Maidemos, please tell my family: my downfall was not due to some vile trick, but the weight of all of Wufarose's history.'"

"Afterward came Bokseta. In the city of Ernoyus, he lured the enemy deeper with his song, buying us precious time. The enraged enemy forces, unwilling to hold back, set a great fire that burned our army and the entire city to ashes… his last words remain only on a small clay tablet cracked by the flames."

"Bokseta: 'Maidemos, put on the crown.'"

"Lastly, my most trusted Hephisins… he ought to have witnessed the dust settle with me, but on the eve of my duel with my father, his old ailment flared up… he concealed his condition, and by the time I returned victorious after slaying my foe, he had only a breath left."

"Hefisins lay on his sickbed, his complexion sallow, his voice full of regret: 'As a Xuanfeng person, I can only waste away in bed… saying it out loud would be a laughingstock.'

"Hefisins, my dear friend… conserve your strength, I'll go fetch a healer…"

"Hefisins shook his head calmly, his complexion serene: 'No need… even if Padikas were still here, he could not avert my fate.'

"Tears already filled his eyes, Wandi gritted his teeth: 'No one can take away your destiny!'"

"Maidemos… our king… do not shed tears, that does not befit your station." Hephisins, with difficulty, raised his hand and lightly placed it on Wandi's shoulder.

"Farewell, dear friend… you must… lead us back home…"