Chapter 1560

"「So today, I came to tell you a story. My own story. Come sit down, ♪」"

"Xilian couldn't help but smile faintly: "In a daze, I seem to be able to understand your words too. All of them are rather adorable utterances.""

"「Once upon a time, there was a 'flawless' crystal flower, sparkling and shining. Like every one of Taizi's stories. Such a splendid flower—how beautiful must its 'heart' be? A little fairy grew curious, wanting to know the answer.""

"「But it looked and looked, only to find the crystal flower seamless, turning round and round, seeing nothing but its own reflection. If so, then let's study hard! Thus the little fairy came every day, standing by the crystal flower, pondering the answer. Until one day, it startled to discover—the crystal flower had fallen to the ground and shattered!""

"「The little fairy felt terrible. But it immediately noticed a cluster of light within the shards. What is it? It doesn't know. But that light is good. Bright. Warm. Happy.""

"「And I know. It is 'love'. Love binds all things, and also binds you and me. So I and Taizi will never part.""

"Xilian sighed softly: "Truly a fairy-tale-like story.""

"「I give it to you. Taizi loves beauty, writes poetry, can tell moving tales. I hope we can turn it into a story we write together.""

"Xilian seemed to hear her words, and replied softly: "Good. Then with my aesthetic sense, I should make a small revision. I think, on the day the flower shattered, the little fairy would see—nothing at all on the empty ground.""

"「Then it would realize, the so-called 'flawless' crystal flower actually had no 'heart', nor did it understand 'love'.""

"De Miu Ge didn't understand: "No heart and no love? Why?""

"「Very simple. If it opened its heart to the little fairy, it would embrace the other's impurities and cease to be 'flawless'. The crystal flower is pure precisely because it closed itself off, blooming alone, thus standing out especially in an imperfect world. But such a flower ought not to be called 'love', should it?""

"De Miu Ge leaned against the cage rail, looking rather forlornly at Xilian: "But then, this way, the story wouldn't hold together……""

"「Oh no. You've already written the most romantic ending for this story. 」Xilian closed her eyes, speaking calmly, 「The crystal flower fell to the ground and shattered. Because it was no longer pure. The fall was not an accident—it was its defiance against fate, writing the story's ending in brokenness. 」"

"「Then the little fairy would see, each shard on the ground reflecting its own eyes. 」"

"——"

"Genshin Impact."

"「I now understand: the so-called 'crystal flower' refers to 'PhiLia093'. In Wengfaluo Si's calculations, Xilian should have been flawless, but only after she and Bai E rebelled against fate and wrote the story's ending in brokenness did this become……'love'. 」"

"Kavé clutched his chest, wearing a pained expression: "Indeed……quite romantic, just that my heart feels a little chilly.""

"Cyno spread his hands: "So, our prior discussion on the Life First Cause, though we had previously considered four or five answers, now it seems only the term Xilian mentioned best fits the conditions——""

"「Love. 」Nahida sat in the wide chair, her two feet lightly swaying, 「De Miu Ge's initial calculation perhaps yielded precisely this answer, which is opposite to 'Destruction'. For Zandal, this answer is actually unimportant; what matters is the process of obtaining the answer, since De Miu Ge can arrive at 'love' through calculation, then Zandal can also obtain 'Destruction' by altering variables. 」"

"「And if one wishes to answer with 'Destruction', one must first overwrite the original answer, namely, blow up De Miu Ge……」Tighnari gave a wry smile and shook his head,"…Truly painstaking effort.""

"「But Lady Dendro Archon, I still don't quite grasp the part about Mimi just now. According to her meaning, Wengfaluo Si still equals two Xilians, right? 」Kavé scratched his head,"One is Xilian, one is De Miu Ge, only De Miu Ge possesses all of Xilian's memories and ultimately grew into Xilian's likeness. They merely resemble each other, but essentially they are still two people, correct?""

"「Sorry, Kavé. Without resolving that strange time issue, I cannot give an accurate answer either. 」Nahida lifted her gaze to the Memory Flower still imprisoned in the cage within the Sky Curtain,"Currently, it does appear to be two Xilians, but this still cannot explain who gave the revelation to little Xilian and the White Mire Dream in the era of Qian Wan Shi—only when all secrets surface can we glimpse the truth.""

"——"

"「「And in its eyes, the no-longer-flawless crystal flower finally gained a 'heart' and learned 'love'. 」""

"Having said that, Xilian's figure vanished into Da Mu Zhong."

"「……」"

"De Miu Ge stared at the spot where Xilian had disappeared, thinking alone for a long time."

"「Taizi's words, I don't understand. Is it because I still haven't grasped 'love'? 」De Miu Ge chuckled,"Heh, but it's fine. I can learn. Alright——search: 'Xilian♪'""

"Zandal's voice rang again: "Electric Signal Sequence: PhiLia093……」"

"「How come I didn't think of that? No need to go it alone—I can let Taizi teach me! What is 'love', what is 'amour'——""

"「Electric Signal Sequence: PhiLia093. Path: Compassion. 」"

"「Huh……」De Miu Ge frowned slightly,"It seems something is off?""

"「The developmental vector of intellect has no intersection with the genesis of consciousness; indeed, the underlying principles are even contradictory. Without consciousness, there is no foundation for the heart, thus no capacity for genuine emotion. Yet this does not hinder factor learning, identifying emotional responses, and through imitative learning, communicating with life. This is an objective mode of pattern recognition, devoid of self-other distinction. 」"

"「But by a twist of fate, PhiLia093, having stepped onto another fate path, mastered a different power……」"

"「【Memory】: a self-centered mechanism equipped with empathetic projection. And 'Compassion' is the factor closest to this behavior. Or perhaps this is precisely why she was selected. 」"