Chapter 1260

"Fengjin, be careful——"

"In Baie's warning, Fengjin walked without hesitation to the middle between the monster and the celestial horse."

"\"As expected, you are Lunabis, your excellency, right? \" Fengjin raised her head and asked the celestial horse."

"The celestial horse let out a neigh in reply."

"\"Then, this being before us that is being corrupted… must be Suolabis, your excellency? You led us here to help your companion break free, didn't you? \""

"With another neigh, Fengjin nodded with a painful expression: \"…I understand. \""

"\"You have… been tormented by pain for a long time, haven't you? But you haven't given up, still desperately clinging to your self, unwilling to yield. \" Fengjin placed her hand on her chest and softly soothed: \"Don't be afraid, you are no longer alone. I am Yaxintes, heir to the hero's bloodline, the medic—'Yang Lei Knight' Sainiesi, who was once your companion, right? \""

"Suolabis responded with a roar."

"\"Suolabis, your excellency, your body has been completely corroded by the Heichi. But I can still… heal your stubborn soul, just as Lunabis, your excellency, did; even without flesh, your spirit remains pure. Please firmly hold onto your remaining consciousness—I will let you… awaken once more as a heroic spirit. \""

"The ensuing battle was unavoidable; Baie swiftly slayed the fully infected Suolabis, and then… a blue soul slowly rose from its fallen body."

"Lunabis lowered her head and looked at it: \"Suolabis…\""

"\"Xing was greatly surprised: 'Horse, you can talk!'\""

"\"Mimi blinked at Xing: 'No need to be surprised, after all this is a world where even a pink puppy can speak… Oh dear, even I've started calling myself that!'\""

"\"Suolabis… you have finally awakened. \""

"\"My consciousness has been lost for too long. At last, the Heichi's prison has been opened. \" Suolabis looked toward Fengjin beside them and said: \"Sainiesi's descendant—are you that, little girl? \""

"\"It is me, Suolabis, your excellency. My name is Yaxintes; my companions call me Fengjin. \""

"\"Yaxintes—you don't have her aura. \""

"\"A thousand years have passed; the hero Sainiesi's bloodline is likely exceedingly thin. But the resolve of the Skyfolk has never been eroded by time—I am here precisely to fulfill her dying wish. \""

"\"How much do you know of her dying wish? \""

"\"Fengjin answered truthfully: "I know… she fused her body with the Titan's to support the shattered sky. I also know she left words of advice, so that someday descendants might return to the heavens and take the fire seed of Aigle."\""

"\"Suolabis seemed to stagger for a moment, then slowly lowered their head: "…Since falling to the earth, have legends become like this?"\""

"——"

"Genshin Impact."

"\"It seems the history of the Skyfolk has undergone great change in its transmission. \""

"\"Is that a bad change? \""

"In the library of the Frost Moon's Children, Rauma rarely had free time, so she invited Niko to the tribe to recount the history of Hyperborea; since Colomba happened to be there as well, the believers filled the table with various snacks and fruit."

"\"Not necessarily. \""

"\"Niko's voice appeared directly in Rauma's mind; she lifted her teacup and elegantly took a sip: 'If we liken a history book to a vessel, then the essence of legend is like a river.'\""

"\"What a fun metaphor. \" Colomba lay on the table, nibbling a pastry made of frost blossom."

"\"What a river carries is not a perfectly preserved specimen, but a 'truth' repeatedly sifted through by countless generations. Every reteller injects their own understanding, emotions, and stance into the telling, just as a river constantly scours its bed at each bend, carrying away new sediment. Over the past five hundred years, a minor detail in a story can be magnified into a central plot through repeated retelling; after another five hundred years, that magnified detail may be given a wholly new interpretation by later storytellers, eventually becoming utterly different from its original form. \""

"\"Then…\" Rauma lowered her head, lost in thought."

"\"I know what you're thinking, Miss Rauma. The Frost Moon's Children's current records of Hyperborea's history and legend also contain many parts that are completely different from the original truth, and I can help you sort them out gradually. \""

"\"Thank you, Miss Niko. \""

"\"Faced with Rauma's sincere thanks, Niko felt embarrassed and rubbed her face: 'No, no… Miss Rauma, rather, finding someone who can let me vent all at once is my good fortune.'\""

"\"However, I need to remind you that alterations to legend also have another possibility—right from the start of its transmission, someone may have wanted to tamper with it, trying to spread it in a different guise. \""

"\"Colomba lifted her head, curious: 'Why would they do that?'\""

"\"I'm not sure if the legends of the Welkin Skyfolk have undergone this, but in Teyvat, many legends and history are often later embellished, transmitted as fairy tales or metaphors. Some classics even have their character order reversed or undergo homophonic processing. \" Niko said seriously, "The purpose of this is actually quite simple—to protect readers so that the true history can be transmitted. \""

"\"So… the point is protection. \" Rauma keenly grasped the key."

"\"Niko nodded: 'Hmm, it's possible that when Sainiesi first fought Aigle, it wasn't as smooth as the legend says. But considering the Skyfolk's fierce nature, wave after wave of warriors would later tread the rainbow bridge to challenge Aigle again, so that initial group of Skyfolk altered the legend.'\""

"\"From Suolabis's tone, it seems the current legend and historical truth differ greatly; just by asking about the details of their initial challenge against Aigle, the full historical truth would be laid bare before Fengjin. \""

"——"

"\"Girl, you claim to be a healer? You only know how to heal and bind wounds… With such a soft fate, what do you intend to use to challenge the embodiment of the sky? \""

"\"Baie unsheathed her sword and plunged it before Suolabis without hesitation: 'By this longsword, heroic spirit. As you see, we are all companions of Yaxintes, her fellow warriors. And the power we possess—you have already witnessed it.'\""

"\"…Not bad, but still far short of her. \""

"\"Lunabis advised: 'Suolabis, set aside your pride and accept their kindness. During the years you were trapped by the Heichi, the world underwent drastic change. If I'm not mistaken, the war god Nicadoli also fell at the hands of these warriors.'\"\"