Moonlight spilled across Lin Mo's exhausted face.
He felt it was absolutely necessary to cultivate a medicinal herb called goji berries somewhere in Teyvat.
Yes—when he went to Liyue, he would ask Baizhu at Bubu Pharmacy.
Perhaps there were traditional remedies with similar effects.
His thoughts were a mess.
Unconsciously, Lin Mo recalled the content of that lifetime's appointment quest.
It was called "Resist the Dragon Durin, Protect Mondstadt."
Logically speaking, there had been no need for him to have any dealings with Rosalyne at all.
So why had he gone and provoked this bewitching woman who could drain him dry?
Was it because Mondstadt had too few entertainment options?
Back then, with nothing better to do, he often went to Mondstadt Plaza to listen to Rosalyne sing.
Gradually, he was drawn in by her beauty and her voice.
From going once in a while,
to sitting on the stone bench in the plaza every single day, waiting for her arrival.
Whether intentionally or not, Rosalyne always chose to sing at the spot closest to him.
Naturally, she noticed his perpetually troubled expression.
That sorrow came from knowing that once the mission ended,
the next lifetime would inevitably begin—
And he would never again hear that beautiful singing.
So, to cheer him up, Rosalyne repeatedly rewrote her lyrics,
just to turn the sadness on his face into a smile.
That was how they met.
And before long, they fell in love.
…
Lost in memories, Lin Mo lowered his head and looked at Rosalyne nestled against him.
In the eyes of others,
she was the Crimson Witch of Flames who plunged Mondstadt into terror.
She was the cold and arrogant Fatui Harbinger.
She was the all-powerful general of Snezhnaya—the Eighth of the Fatui, La Signora.
But in Lin Mo's eyes,
She was still that shy young girl who came to Mondstadt Plaza every day to sing just for him.
"Darling…"
Rosalyne's soft voice came from his arms.
"Mm, I'm here."
…
"Come with me to Snezhnaya. Let's be together forever."
Rosalyne finally voiced the longing in her heart.
Having experienced separation once before, she never wanted to part from Lin Mo again.
"We will be together forever," Lin Mo replied gently.
"But I won't go to Snezhnaya with you."
"Why?"
Rosalyne lifted her head, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion as she looked at him.
Lin Mo lowered his gaze and gently brushed the fiery tear mark on her right cheek, speaking tenderly:
"You are the Crimson Witch whose life is close to burning out."
"If I go to Snezhnaya with you, I would only be accompanying you through the final stretch of your life…
but that wouldn't be eternity."
His words struck straight at the deepest pain in Rosalyne's heart.
Indeed, she knew it too.
Her time was running out.
She couldn't even be sure she had ten years left.
Unwilling, she bit down on her vivid red lips.
After five hundred years of separation, after finally reuniting,
she didn't want their time together to be limited to a mere decade.
But…
Faced with the exhaustion of her life and the inevitability of eternal sleep,
she had no solution at all.
"That's why I want to search for a way to give you new life across Teyvat," Lin Mo said.
"For example, in Mondstadt, I can consult Lisa—the Witch of Purple Roses—who has suffered a similar fate."
"Or we could go to Bubu Pharmacy in Liyue."
"I've heard there's a little girl there who survived from the time of the Archon War. Maybe there's something we can learn from that."
"And if that doesn't work…"
"I'll ask the Geo Archon himself whether there is a path to immortality."
"Or perhaps we go to Inazuma."
"The Electro Archon who pursues eternity—she might have a different understanding of what 'eternal' truly means."
…
As Lin Mo spoke of his plans and hopes, Rosalyne was so moved that she hugged him tightly once more and said firmly:
"Then I'll resign from my position as a Harbinger and stay by your side. I'll travel across Teyvat with you."
"That won't do either," Lin Mo said with a bitter smile.
"The Cryo Delusion mask you wear is precisely what suppresses the loss of your life force."
"So you must continue being the Fatui's Lady."
"And wait for me to find a turning point for you."
Lin Mo didn't say these things merely to preserve the storyline.
He truly wanted to extend Rosalyne's dwindling lifespan.
"But… the Tsaritsa's next plan is for me to go to Liyue and take the Geo Archon's Gnosis," Rosalyne said softly.
"Does that mean… we'll have to separate again, even if only for a while?"
A trace of sadness flickered through her beautiful eyes.
She clearly didn't want to part from Lin Mo.
"Then won't we be seeing each other very soon?" Lin Mo said with a smile.
Confusion flashed across Rosalyne's eyes.
So Lin Mo explained, smiling:
"The Honorary Knight of Mondstadt will be traveling to Liyue in search of their sibling."
"And I will accompany the Honorary Knight to Liyue—
as a diplomatic envoy."
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T/N:
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