Lin Mo's words, filled with excitement yet laced with tenderness, gradually melted away the five centuries of accumulated grievances and resentment within Rhinedottir's heart.
" A happy, complete family with both a son and a daughter... "
Rhinedottir murmured the phrase.
She had to admit.
Her heart was moved.
She even began to fantasize: Lin Mo leading Durin, she holding their daughter's hand, walking together down the lantern-lit streets of Liyue Harbor, experiencing all the city's splendor with Lin Mo and their children.
Who was Lin Mo?
He was Teyvat's premier 'warm guy'. How could he fail to sense the 'flutter' in Rhinedottir's heart?
So he quickly struck while the iron was hot, smiling as he continued painting the picture:
" If our daughter is talented in song and dance, understanding and kind... "
" I'd also like her to perform in Liyue, to let everyone know... that the children of us alchemists aren't just buried in research. "
" Her talents, her personality, her beauty—she could inherit all the best qualities from her mother. "
At this point, Lin Mo couldn't help but sigh. " What a pity, though...
"
" A... a pity? "
Rhinedottir was now completely captivated by his words.
" What's a pity is... my own limitations. "
Lin Mo said with a wry smile, " Creating a beautiful, lovely girl? I can do that.
"
" But... innate artistic talent... a kind, empathetic personality... "
" With my mere 'Crimson' level alchemy, that's beyond me. "
" Moreover, even if I could do it alone, that wouldn't be right. "
" Because a child created by me alone would just be *my* child. "
" Only a child we create together would be *our* child, *our* daughter... "
" Only what we create together... "
Unconsciously, Rhinedottir had tightly grasped Lin Mo's hand.
The next moment, she looked up, her gaze firm as she met his eyes. " The talents, the personality—I can shape those.
"
Lin Mo smiled and ventured, " Then... the crafting of her appearance and form, shall I take care of that? "
Rhinedottir, thinking of the imminent Lantern Rite, asked anxiously, " When does the Lantern Rite begin? "
" The evening of the day after tomorrow," Lin Mo answered with a smile.
" The day after tomorrow... "
A flash of urgency instantly crossed Rhinedottir's eyes.
Immediately, she pulled her hand free from Lin Mo's intertwined fingers.
" Huh? "
Lin Mo was taken aback.
He watched as Rhinedottir hurriedly sat down on the Ruin Grader, explaining in a rush, " I need to go to my workshop to gather materials right away. Two days... that's very tight!
"
" Uh... alright then. "
Lin Mo nodded with a gentle smile.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Rhinedottir controlled the Ruin Grader to charge through the snow, racing toward the mountain peak, leaving Lin Mo alone behind.
Lin Mo started to raise a hand to call her back.
After all, being stuck here alone was truly boring.
Especially with the eight Ruin creatures Rhinedottir had left behind now encircling him, their metallic eyes fixed on him—it was downright creepy.
Lin Mo couldn't help but shout, " What are you looking at!? Go find somewhere else to be!
"
" Squeak~! "
To Lin Mo's surprise, the Ruin creatures actually obeyed his command, dutifully dispersing in all directions.
This rather astonished him.
Could it be that, along with the change in Rhinedottir's attitude towards him, he could now control these Ruin creatures too?
" Wait! Leave one behind, come in front of me!
" Lin Mo tried giving an order.
Sure enough, after the Ruin creatures seemed to glance at each other, one Ruin Destroyer slowly moved to position itself before Lin Mo.
" It seems... they have a basic level of autonomous awareness. "
Lin Mo was quite intrigued.
Didn't this mean that while Rhinedottir was off gathering materials, he could thoroughly study these Ruin creatures? Perhaps he could learn something from them, using the opportunity to improve his own biological alchemy?
No time like the present.
Lin Mo immediately began gently tapping on the Ruin Destroyer, carefully examining every part of its body.
Soon, he noticed a device.
When Lin Mo lightly pressed the button on the device...
" Creak~"
The Ruin Destroyer's eyes suddenly projected an image.
[Mondstadt Region]
[Liyue Region]
[Inazuma Region]
[Fontaine Region]
Options for a total of seven nations appeared before Lin Mo.
Lin Mo instantly realized.
This... seemed to be a recording device installed on the Ruin creatures.
At the same time, Lin Mo noticed something potentially terrifying.
Since there were options to choose from, didn't that mean all the Ruin creatures could share their recorded footage?
To confirm his suspicion, Lin Mo subconsciously selected the [Mondstadt Region] option.
Reasoning that Mondstadt shouldn't have Ruin Destroyers, if it still showed scenes from Mondstadt, it would mean all Ruin creatures shared a visual network.
That would be a frighteningly advanced technology!
In other words, in the future, he could potentially use this technology to learn about events happening in various regions across Teyvat.
As Lin Mo selected Mondstadt, a projection of the region appeared before his eyes.
" This area... should be near Stormterror's Lair, right? "
Curious, Lin Mo continued by selecting the [Switch Scene] option.
Soon, Lin Mo saw various scenes from the footage: the Thousand Winds Temple, Wolvendom, Brightcrown Mountains, and more.
He also spotted some familiar figures in these scenes.
" Oh? Grand Master Varka?
" Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.
Seeing Grand Master Varka's figure meant this footage was likely from about fifteen years ago.
That was roughly the period when Grand Master Varka set out from Mondstadt, leading the nation's elite forces on an expedition.
Just as Lin Mo switched to the next scene, he suddenly froze.
The location shown was Starsnatch Cliff.
The image was wreathed in black smoke.
No surprise, this was likely footage recorded by a Ruin creature just as it was being destroyed.
Through the smoke, Lin Mo could make out two figures that felt intensely familiar to him.
" Mommy~ when is Daddy coming back~"
" Klee wants to go to Starsnatch Cliff to see the starry river with Mommy and Daddy, like before~~"
On the screen, the little girl pouting was none other than Klee from fifteen years ago.
Beside Klee sat a girl wearing a fiery red witch's hat and a vibrant witch's robe, looking up at the star-filled sky.
Lin Mo recognized this figure immediately.
She was the girl he hadn't seen since the end of his very first cycle of reincarnation.
She was also the first person in Teyvat to accept him, bring him to Mondstadt City, and help him integrate into Mondstadt—Klee's mother, Alice.
--------
T/N:
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!
Access 40 chapters in advance on my Patreon : [email protected]/furinaimpact