Lin Mo thought of the name Hanachirusato, and fell into silence.
In his memories, Hanachirusato possessed the recollections of Kitsune Saiguu—
but… she was not Kitsune Saiguu herself.
Although the world Lin Mo now stood in was the real Teyvat, he still believed the original storyline had to be used as reference to determine the true relationship between Kitsune Saiguu and Hanachirusato.
In Genshin Impact's original story, Inazuma was ravaged during the invasion of Khaenri'ah.
Lin Mo was certain that, even in the present Teyvat, this had already happened.
The Ruin Guards, Ruin Defenders, Ruin Scouts, and other mechanical constructs scattered throughout Inazuma were the clearest proof of that war.
During that calamity, the Raiden Shogun answered the call of Celestia and marched with the gods to Khaenri'ah, taking part in that earth-shattering battle.
Inazuma was left in the hands of Ei, the tengu, the oni, and the Hakushin clan.
That war reduced Narukami Island to ruin. Inazuma was nearly wiped out.
In the end, the people had no choice but to flee underground, seeking refuge in the shelters beneath Araumi.
But even Araumi was eventually breached by the Perpetual Mechanical Array from Khaenri'ah. The casualties among the refugees were devastating.
Thankfully, through the self-sacrificial stand of Lin Mo and Chiyo Mikoshi's son, Mikoshi Doukei, the evacuation of the Inazuman civilians was protected.
Humanity's flame was preserved, just barely, for Inazuma.
As Kitsune Saiguu wrote in her final letter:
"Please, return my eternally radiant memories
to the land that I love.
I hope that even after your devastation,
something beautiful may still remain."
In the end, Kitsune Saiguu was swallowed by the deepest darkness.
She longed for her friends.
She prayed to the will of darkness, offering her memories to the land she once loved.
And from the fusion of her memories and defilement, a spirit was born—
Hanachirusato.
In Lin Mo's understanding, Hanachirusato carried Kitsune Saiguu's memories,
but she was a completely new existence.
She was not Kitsune Saiguu.
Damn it.
Lin Mo clenched his fist, his eyes filled with unwillingness.
He had thought he might have a chance to see that woman again.
In the end, it was nothing but empty hope.
"No… no matter what, I have to go see her."
"I need to confirm it with my own eyes—only then can I be at peace."
Lin Mo made his decision.
Even if there was only the slightest possibility,
he wanted to see that old friend again—that former lover.
"Lord Sasayuri, we've arrived."
Yae Miko's voice pulled him back.
Lin Mo looked up.
They were already very close to Mt. Aocang.
But the sight before him made his eyes widen in shock.
The mountain was no longer occupied by Dvalin, Durin, or Andrius.
Lin Mo guessed they had returned to Mondstadt after the war ended.
Yet Mt. Aocang didn't feel empty at all.
Instead, it looked like… a Geovishap zoo.
Hundreds—no, thousands—of Geovishaps were frolicking across the mountain.
Nearby, the Ancient Geovishap lay resting peacefully.
And on top of its head—
Lin Mo could clearly see a dazzling red figure.
"Daddy—!! Daddy and Fox Sister are here~!!"
Klee spotted them first.
Moments later, they landed atop Mt. Aocang.
"Daddy! Daddy!"
Klee rushed toward Lin Mo.
No—
she wasn't running.
She was riding a Geovishap at full speed.
The Geovishap screeched to a halt in front of him.
Klee hopped off immediately and grabbed Lin Mo's hand, shaking it excitedly.
Pointing behind her, she said,
"Daddy, look! That funny-patterned big lizard! It's called Xiao Gu! Brother Kun Jun says it's my big nephew!"
"…Huh?!"
Lin Mo froze.
He turned to look at the Ancient Geovishap.
It was still asleep.
Beside it, Kun Jun smiled calmly at him.
"Father, Klee seems to like Xiao Gu very much."
"…Uh…"
Lin Mo covered his forehead.
How did the Ancient Geovishap suddenly become his grandson?
Then again, the Ancient Geovishap was an elemental being created by Azhdaha.
From a certain perspective…
it really was his grandson.
Looking at the Geovishaps playing all over the mountain, Lin Mo asked in disbelief,
"And these guys…?"
"Hehe! Brother Kun Jun said they'll all listen to Klee from today onward~!"
Klee put her hands on her hips proudly.
"From today on, Klee is a general with her own army!"
Lin Mo stared at Kun Jun in shock.
"You gave all the Geovishaps you created to Klee?"
"Klee seems to enjoy playing with them," Kun Jun said gently.
"I heard she likes sneaking off into the wild. With Geovishaps protecting her, I can rest easier."
"…Some?"
Lin Mo's face twitched.
You call thousands of Geovishaps "some"?
Bring these back to Mondstadt and they could practically replace the Knights of Favonius.
Maybe not defend the entire city—but guarding villages and towns would be no problem at all.
"Sigh… you're spoiling her too much."
Lin Mo felt a headache coming on.
Wouldn't this cause mass panic?
Thankfully, Kun Jun didn't say they were his children—
otherwise Lin Mo would truly be surrounded by descendants.
No—
thousands of Geovishaps… that was descendants covering the mountains.
"Lin Mo! Hurry over! Everyone's waiting for you!"
Hu Tao's voice rang out.
Lin Mo looked over and saw everyone smiling at him, waiting for him to join them.
He walked closer and said with a wry smile,
"Everyone… I know this is sudden, but I need to tell you something."
"I have urgent business in Inazuma."
"Without little brother here, dinner won't be nearly as enjoyable~"
Lisa said softly.
"Yeah, what's so urgent that you can't even stay for a meal?" Keqing added, dissatisfied.
Nearly everyone looked surprised.
"There's no time to explain in detail," Lin Mo said apologetically.
As he spoke, he took out the Serenitea Pot.
"If anyone wants to visit Inazuma with me, you can enter the pot first."
"It's not much different from an adeptus's domain."
"Guest rooms, furniture, daily necessities, food—everything is prepared."
"Hmph. This has to be about seeing some old flame in Inazuma, doesn't it?"
Cloud Retainer cut straight to the point, merciless as ever.
The group exchanged glances.
The suddenness of the trip was undeniable.
Yet Eula stood up first and walked to Lin Mo.
"I came to Liyue for you. Wherever you go, I'll go."
With one came another.
"I wish to stay by Lord Lin Mo's side," Ganyu said shyly as she joined him.
"Hmph!"
Keqing followed immediately.
"Looks like my study trip to Inazuma will start earlier than planned."
Yanfei, Amber, Lisa…
the Adepti, Xiao, Venti, Kun Jun…
One by one, everyone stood and smiled at him.
"Thank you all for indulging my selfishness," Lin Mo said sincerely.
Elemental energy poured into the Serenitea Pot.
Buzz—!
A portal to the teapot realm opened.
"Daddy! Daddy!"
Klee tugged on Lin Mo's hand.
He crouched down and saw her pouting face.
"Does Klee not want to go?"
"Klee wants to go!"
"But…"
She looked back longingly at the Geovishaps covering the mountain.
Lin Mo immediately understood.
"It's fine. Bring them all."
He smiled and pointed at the portal.
"The teapot has plenty of space. Your Geovishap army can live inside."
"Yay~! Daddy's the best~!"
Soon, everyone entered the Serenitea Pot.
Lin Mo set off once more for Inazuma.
Since everyone else was inside the teapot realm, only Lin Mo sat on Yae Miko's back.
At that moment, her teasing voice echoed in his mind.
"Lord Sasayuri."
"Just now… didn't it feel like you were this close to having hundreds—no, thousands—of descendants?"
There was unmistakable amusement in her tone.
"Cough… having hundreds isn't the issue."
"The problem is they're all lizards."
"Anyone who didn't know better would think I did something unspeakable to a giant lizard."
"Hehe. If you can accept having hundreds of god-grandchildren, then I'm relieved."
Yae Miko finally revealed her meaning.
"After that war five hundred years ago, most of the oni still alive in Inazuma…"
"…are, more or less, your descendants with Chiyo Mikoshi."
"…What?!"
Lin Mo was stunned.
"During the war, the oni and tengu were the main forces. Casualties were catastrophic. The tengu were almost wiped out."
"As for the oni… nearly the same."
"Your son, Mikoshi Doukei, was one of the few survivors."
"Before his death, he left behind many children."
"Five hundred years have passed. Ten generations already."
"So yes—most of the oni in Inazuma today are related to you, one way or another~"
Her voice was filled with schadenfreude.
"…"
Lin Mo fell silent.
She wasn't wrong.
And the moment he accepted this reality—
One name flashed through his mind.
Arataki Itto.
"So… I'm not that guy's sworn brother after all…"
"I'm his great-great-grandfather."
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T/N:
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