Episode 189: Resetting Samsara, Will Everything Be Healed?
『 The two looked, and the few remaining Mora in the wallet indeed confirmed the fact.
"I really didn't expect this. I always complain about being poor anyway," Paimon said with a bitter smile.
After all, her money was all managed by Lumine.
No, wait.
She was saying that all the money she had spent was from Lumine.
So, saying she had no money was absolutely true. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "Is there really a reason for being broke?" ]
[ Stelle (Honkai: Star Rail): "Broke? Well, I still have money." ]
[ Lumine (Genshin Impact): "Emmm, I don't have much Mora either. This guy is just too good at—eating." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Hehehe." ]
[ Xiangling (Genshin Impact): "Let's stew it. We can have a full meal if we stew it." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "?? No way, I'm not something to be eaten!" ]
[ .....]
『 But at this moment, a light bulb went off in Lumine's mind, and a new idea emerged.
"What if it's truly those Sages behind all this, using data from the Akasha and the city's resources…"
Before she could finish, the people present understood her unspoken meaning.
"Hmm, using the Akasha to record everyone's every move in the city, and then using the city's power to rewind time to the start of the day?" Paimon frowned, seemingly digesting this bold idea. "Although it sounds like a fantasy, it doesn't seem entirely impossible to achieve." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Setaria (Genshin Impact): "Who would bother to restore the city's resources every day?" ]
[ Kaeya (Genshin Impact): "What exactly is the conspiracy of your Akademiya?" ]
[ Setaria (Genshin Impact): "Nonsense! We are executing a great plan!" ]
[ Azar (Genshin Impact): "Alright, Setaria, stop communicating with foolish people." ]
[ Gorou (Genshin Impact): "I really want to punch these people!" ]
[ Sangonomiya Kokomi (Genshin Impact): "General Gorou, please be mindful of the impact on our two nations. Our main focus now is to resist the Shogunate Army." ]
[ Kujou Sara (Genshin Impact): "Hmph! The rebels won't be able to turn the tide." ]
[ .....]
『 "Impossible, I have evidence!" Dehya said with a firm tone.
"Evidence? Where's your evidence?" Paimon's curiosity was completely piqued.
Facing Paimon's barrage of questions, Dehya sighed helplessly:
"Sigh, you two are surprisingly serious about this nonsensical discussion. Fine, I'll play along for a little longer."
Although still half-believing, half-doubting, Dehya decided to listen to their so-called evidence.
"You two, just follow me." However, since they were going to present evidence, the safety of Dunyarzad could not be overlooked.
Therefore, dehya turned to look at Dunyarzad, earnestly instructing:
"Miss Dunyarzad, you should come with me too. In this environment, I can't guarantee safety."
Then, everyone followed Dehya towards the so-called crucial evidence. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Dunyarzad Homayani (Genshin Impact): "What evidence can Dehya provide?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Dehya can really surprise us, providing so many ideas." ]
[ Dehya (Genshin Impact): "I've got it, what I'm taking you to see should be my training ground." ]
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "A training ground? What kind of thing is that?" ]
[ Dehya (Genshin Impact): "Hehe, a wooden dummy." ]
[ Yanqing (Honkai: Star Rail): "A wooden dummy, indeed a good place to practice." ]
[ .....]
『 Along the way, Paimon, trailing behind Dehya, whispered to Lumine:
"I really didn't expect it. This time it's Dehya taking us to see the evidence, when just two days ago we were taking her to see it."
Not long after, Dehya led everyone to a secluded corner.
There, quietly lay Dehya's "evidence"—
A wooden stake covered in mysterious scars. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "The scars on this, such serious training." ]
[ Shinomiya Kaguya (Love Is War): "Can she really achieve this level?" ]
[ Dehya (Genshin Impact): "Of course, this is how I earn my living." ]
[ Dehya (Genshin Impact): "And a wooden dummy doesn't last for more than a few days." ]
[ Kato Megumi (Saekano): "Sugoi." ]
[ .....]
『 "See that? That's what I'm talking about," Dehya said flatly, pointing to the distant wooden stake.
Everyone carefully examined the marks on the wooden stake.
"What is this? Your sword practice dummy?" Paimon asked in confusion, having never seen such a thing before.
Perhaps, only after professional "abuse" by a martial artist would such marks be left behind.
As for the creator of all this—Dehya—she was quite frank at this moment.
"That's right, this is the target I used for my sword practice."
"Look closely at those marks; they are all my masterpieces from the past few days."
"If those idle researchers weren't replacing it daily with new ones, it would have long since fallen into disrepair, wouldn't it?"
Ordinary people would hardly notice such an inconspicuous wooden stake with its marks left by a greatsword.
Dehya was somewhat disdainful of the idle personnel at the Akademiya.
In terms of academics, she might not compare to those researchers, but in terms of practical combat ability, she was confident in her strength, capable of easily crushing them.
Therefore, the damage she left behind could not be replicated by the scholars of the Akademiya.
"That's true, but what if they replace it with a new one every day?" Paimon retorted somewhat unconvinced.
How could the wealthy Akademiya not even have the money to replace a wooden stake?
This reason really didn't make sense…
But then again, Dehya had something to retort with now.
"For example, let's assume the wooden stake has to be replaced every day."
"Then, those idle fellows would have to recreate all the marks I left from my sword practice on these new wooden stakes every day."
"You must understand, I am a martial arts expert, and in my martial arts system, the requirement for control is extremely precise."
"The force, angle, and point of impact of each of my sword strikes are the result of my careful calculation. I remember every scar on the wooden stake, as well as the state of mind when I swung the sword."
"As people often say, a martial artist's sword is unique; no one can replicate two identical sword styles. To perfectly replicate my sword marks is absolutely a fantasy!"
Dehya's face was serious and unwavering as she spoke.
In her opinion, those sword marks were the result of her meticulous craftsmanship; how could they be easily imitated by others?
If that were truly possible, where would her martial artist's dignity be?
"Huh? Is it really impossible? What if they use precise tools to carve them out bit by bit?" Paimon then proposed a seemingly feasible idea. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Beidou (Genshin Impact): "Little Paimon clearly doesn't understand this kind of thing." ]
[ Beidou (Genshin Impact): "A martial artist's sword marks have a certain artistic conception; how could they be perfectly replicated?" ]
[ Kaeya (Genshin Impact): "After all, Paimon's combat power is equivalent to a quarter of a wild boar, how could she understand this?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "I'm so MAD!!" ]
[ .....]
『 However, this conjecture was quickly rejected by Dehya.
"People often say that a Kamera's photo can never replace an artist's painting because the former has no spirit to it."
"The same applies to me. I can tell the difference between those carved sword marks and the marks left during my martial arts training at a glance," Dehya proudly declared.
As a professional martial artist, how could she not recognize those wooden stakes that lacked artistic conception and were merely artificially carved?
Therefore, such a thing was simply impossible.
Whether it was a cycle or erased memories, everything was just empty talk.
Hearing this, lumine seemed to have a sudden realization, "What you said makes sense. It looks like we can only give up on that possibility?"
"Alright, you two should have no more questions now, right?" Dehya said, as if recalling something, "Hey, isn't this that game called 'brain teaser' that's popular among scholars recently? I didn't expect it to be quite interesting."
She seemed to have misunderstood, but at this moment, the two had no mind to correct this small misunderstanding.
Seeing that no one else had questions, Dehya turned to look at Dunyarzad behind her.
"If there's nothing else, it's getting late. I should escort Miss Dunyarzad to Nilou's stage. See you later!"
After a brief farewell, Dehya pulled Dunyarzad and quickly left.
Only Lumine and Paimon remained, slightly stunned in the wind.
They were still slowly digesting the information they had just received.
After a while, Paimon looked at Lumine with a hint of sadness: "Sigh, this is another dead end. So all our previous speculations were wrong?"
"But at least we made a discovery, right?"
"Hmm, time isn't looping, and we might not be in the real world," Lumine slowly articulated her new insight.
Combining their previous experiences, they might not be their true selves, but merely some kind of reflection existing in this space. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Qingque (Honkai: Star Rail): "The Traveler also realized that they are not in the real world." ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "It seems they are not far from the truth." ]
[ Xiangling (Genshin Impact): "Congratulations, traveler." ]
[ Xiangling (Genshin Impact): "Gouba, don't eat that dish! That's for Mr. Zhongli!" ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "No matter, if it's eaten, it's eaten." ]
[ .....]
『 Subsequently, the two engaged in a lively discussion.
"Mhm, it really feels that way. Can we find any other clues now?"
"I suddenly feel like something's strange about this."
"Strange? Me too, I've been feeling like everything's not quite right lately."
"Seriously, I mean, why have we never thought of leaving the city to take a look?" 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Thoma (Genshin Impact): "Are the two of them considering leaving the city now?" ]
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "They've probably already gone out, but just forgot." ]
[ Chongyun (Genshin Impact): "No way, Xingqiu, if they've been out, they should still have memories, how could they forget everything?" ]
[ Diluc (Genshin Impact): "It's possible. What if related memories are completely deleted if they leave?" ]
[ Chongyun (Genshin Impact): "How terrifying." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Nahida will have a way, right?" ]
[ .....]
『 "Huh? Leave the city, oh, right! Why haven't we thought of something so easy to come up with before? If we go out and see if the time outside the city is still stuck on the same day, we can confirm many things!"
"This is truly incredible. Were we thinking too much before? Or were we so dizzy from exhaustion that we couldn't think of it?"
"This matter is really strange. But why do I always feel like we should have thought of it a long time ago?"
"Then let's go back and ask Nahida? About us leaving the city, could it be that we've forgotten something?"
After a discussion, the two agreed to go find Nahida to investigate, confirming whether they had truly overlooked crucial memories of having proposed leaving the city.
The scene shifted, and they were back in front of the small house, finding Nahida with a sleeping Dunyarzad.
"Nahida, we're back!" Paimon excitedly greeted Nahida.
Nahida's gaze, full of curiosity, turned to them upon their return.
"You two finished work so early today, did you make a discovery?"
"Sort of, we've basically confirmed that time isn't looping, and this might not be the real world, you know?" Paimon directly shared their new idea. "But now we have new questions."
Lumine, who had been silent, interjected at the right moment: "What's it like outside the city? Have we really not tried to force our way out to see?"
Nahida seemed to recall something, her expression complex as she said, "I remember, you mentioned leaving the city twice." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Sure enough, we've already been out, but why don't we have any related memories?" ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "They've actually been out twice? But why haven't these memories been released?" ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "Or perhaps, these memories are unimportant?" ]
[ .....]
『 "!!" At this, the two were instantly shocked.
Why were there absolutely no memories of leaving the city in their minds?
"We said we'd go out? Why do we have no recollection at all? Oh, right, what happened later? How did we decide?"
"Let me recall… You never spoke of the outcome of your plan to leave the city. Oh, no, it's that you didn't return after those two times you went out," Nahida traced back: "However, you often stayed up late investigating, so I didn't think much of it." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Nahida (Genshin Impact): "This was my mistake. I should have been more careful. That's what a qualified god does." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Nahida is already great, the other two gods are not as good as you." ]
[ Venti (Genshin Impact): "??" ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "??" ]
[ .....]
『 "Indeed, we often lose track of time when investigating clues, going straight to the next day. But this time you mentioned leaving the city, and we have no memory of it at all." Paimon desperately searched her memories but found nothing.
"That is strange. Logically, all memories should be recalled." Nahida also became puzzled, tilting her head in thought.
"Perhaps the breakthrough lies in what's outside the city. Let's try again tomorrow," Lumine suggested.
If there truly was something strange outside the city, the two would thoroughly explore it and surely uncover the mystery, right?
"Hmm, there must be some secret hidden outside the city. We need to investigate it thoroughly tomorrow."
After saying that, seeing that it was already late, the two bid farewell to Nahida and returned to their house to rest.
As the two fell asleep, the screen turned black.
" Beep "
"The memories are back!" Paimon opened her eyes, having regained her memories.
After receiving her past memories, lumine calmly turned to Paimon and said, "Alright, today we should set off to investigate outside the city."
This plan was decided "yesterday," intending to observe the situation outside the city today. They had finally made it through the night and welcomed the morning; now was the time to depart.
But just as they were getting ready, Paimon seemed a bit hesitant: "Um, where should I start…"
"Huh? What do you want to say? Just say it quickly," Lumine seemed a bit impatient, looking at the stammering Paimon.
If there was something, she should say it quickly, after all, they had to rush outside the city.
Just as Paimon was struggling, Nahida beside her spoke up to help: "Traveler, besides the memories you just recovered, there is a special piece of information left for you."
Saying this, Nahida's small palm revealed a unique piece of information. Lumine stared at this tiny piece of information, tilting her head to the side, full of doubt.
"Extra information? Who left it for me?"
"Just listen, and you'll know," Nahida didn't explain much, directly handing the information to Lumine. Although Lumine was puzzled, she still took the unknown information.
And as Lumine began to carefully process this information, her expression suddenly changed. Because everyone present saw that the moment Lumine touched and read the information, a message abruptly appeared…
Just like that, a bizarre message suddenly appeared; both Lumine at the scene and the audience in the live broadcast room were amazed.
" ...Can't go back... There are countless spaces here. Our Sabzeruz Festival in Sumeru City is just one of them... "
"This… this is my own voice!" Lumine's eyes widened instantly upon hearing the voice from the message, filled with surprise.
It was indeed her own voice, but the strange thing was that the content of the voice was something she had absolutely no memory of, as if it were an event that had never happened.
"Traveler, you seem to have lost two days of memories. Let me tell you exactly what happened during this time," Paimon floated in front of Lumine, taking the initiative to explain.
As Paimon slowly narrated, lumine and everyone else seemed to travel back to the scene from two days ago. 』
『 .....』