<h4>Chapter 63: Viin Simtor, Ch 63</h4>
Over the years, Eberhart had been deeply troubled by the prophecy. Now that the truth was revealed, he finally felt at peace.
He looked back toward the pier, but the old man had already disappeared, leaving only an empty wine bottle standing there, deserted.
[Entering text mode]
[Age 58: You and Ursa temporarily settled in Liyue.]
[Age 59: Ingobert passed away of old age. You secretly arranged a modest funeral for him, concealing your identity.]
[Age 60: You fell gravely ill.]
[Age 61: Your vision began to deteriorate.]
[Age 62: You went blind due to your illness. Fortunately, Ursa stayed by your side to care for you. She often said the same thing—"Hurry up and die already, so I can eat you!"]
[Age 63: After a lifetime of toil, it felt like all your burdens caught up with you in your old age. Your health rapidly declined, and Ursa no longer made her usual dark jokes.]
[Age 64: Despite your blindness, your hearing became sharper. However, what you heard most often was Ursa sniffing around. That creature must have been sneaking food again.]
[Age 65: You sensed your life nearing its end. Ursa held your hand tightly by your bedside, for the first time in her life feeling anxious about a human''s death. And you made onest request—to be eaten by her after you died.]
[You died from illness. Throughout your life, youmitted countless atrocities. Many young girls suffered at your hands, and tens of thousands were burned to ashes by your mes. You betrayed your brother, teacher, and father to seize power. Your sins were innumerable... Yet, your death was so peaceful.]
[The dragon Ursa didn''t eat you. That night, a ck dragon was seen soaring over Liyue''s sky, seemingly carrying something. Some recognized it as the legendary dragon. Soon after, it vanished into the night.]
[You have died, but the talent "Eternal Bloodline" has activated, and you are about to be revived.]
[Eternal Bloodline (Blue): After your death, you will be reborn as an infant with your bloodline and retain your memories (this talent activates only once).]
That''s right!
Perhaps due to his immersion in the narrative, Lucas almost forgot that he possessed this talent. Although he would lose his previous power upon rebirth, he would retain his memories and the talents gained from this simtion.
Even without the talents, simply retaining his memories was enough to give his reborn self a head start.
"Who will I be reborn as?" he wondered.
[The simtor will continue to generate the story until a suitable newborn is found.]
[Year 1 after death: No newborns in the Lawrence family.]
[Year 2 after death: No newborns in the Lawrence family.]
[Year 3 after death: No newborns in the Lawrence family.]
[Year 4 after death: A newborn has appeared in the Lawrence family. Father: Kreuzlied II. Would you like to reincarnate?]
Kreuzlied II?
Isn''t that Kreuzlied''s son?
Good grief, am I going to be reborn as my son''s grandson?
"No, no! That''s too confusing!" Lucas shook his head hastily. "How long will it take to find the right newborn?"
[Unknown. This system cannot control the simtor''s story progression.]
"Then... just keep running it in the background and notify me when you find one," Lucas said reluctantly.
[Understood, switching to background mode.]
As the system''s voice faded, Lucas opened his eyes once again. Before him, the stars twinkled faintly.
Although he had just lived an entire life in the simtor, in reality, only a moment had passed.
At that moment, he was sitting on a soft patch of grass. After a brief pause, he remembered that he was standing watch over a convoy headed to Mondstadt.
"The endless stars... one day, I, too, shall be their ruler."
Suddenly, a voice, deliberately lofty in tone, spoke behind him. Lucas didn''t bother to get up. Instead, he leaned his head back, just enough to see the sharp, petite chin of the girl standing there.
It was none other than Fischl. Thanks to her rather t stature, her chin was easy to spot from below.
Had Shenhe been the one standing behind him, Lucas''s view might have beenpletely obstructed.
"Hey! What''s with that look in your eyes?" Fischl frowned slightly. "I feel like you''re thinking something very rude."
"Not at all," Lucas chuckled awkwardly. "Miss, why aren''t you asleep yet?"
"Foolish mortal! Only weak humans need to sleep to recover their energy," Fischl dered proudly. "As for me, I am in peak condition."
"So, you''re here to keep mepany while I stand watch?" Lucas bluntly exposed her intentions.
"I-I only came because you''re my servant!" Fischl blushed, sitting beside Lucas. "If we encounter danger, I''ll protect you."
"Well, thank you very much," Lucas said gently. "The stars sure are beautiful tonight."
You couldn''t see such a magnificent sky back in the real world.
Before being transported to this world, Lucas had been a novice astronomy enthusiast, casually observing stars and constetions. However, the stars in Teyvat were entirely different from the ones in reality. He didn''t recognize any of the constetions here.
"Yes... this is the first time I''ve watched the stars with someone other than my father..." Fischl murmured. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she whispered, "Wait, watching the stars together... isn''t that something only couples do?"
"Huh?" Lucas was startled and quickly added, "I didn''t mean anything like that!"
"Hmph! And what if we were?" Fischl tilted her head, locking eyes with Lucas and smiling. "The bond we share far surpasses any that mere couples could have."
A gust of wind blew, knocking Fischl''s eyepatch from her face. As it floated away on the breeze, Lucas quickly reached out to grab it.
He caught the eyepatch but lost his bnce, causing him to identally fall on top of Fischl.
Though he quickly braced himself with his arms to avoid crushing her, their faces ended up almost touching.
The air between them grew still, with only the rhythmic chirping of insects breaking the silence.
Just as Lucas was about to say something, Fischl slowly closed her eyes, her lips slightly puckering.
Wait, what''s going on here?
Sure, in such a romantic situation, it''s easy for a girl to feel a spark.
Simply put... the mood was right.
But what was he supposed to do now?
Kissing her seemed too forward.
But not kissing her... might be even more rude.
In the midst of Lucas''s hesitation, Fischl''s soft hands suddenly grasped the back of his neck.
"Idiot..."
She whispered before gently pulling his head down for the kiss.
Their lips met, a soft, fleeting touch.
It was gentle at first, a hesitant, awkward meeting of lips. But then, something shifted. Fischl''s hand, small and trembling, reached up to cup the back of his neck, pulling him just a little closer.
The kiss deepened, still innocent, yet filled with an emotion neither of them had expected. For a brief moment, it felt as though the world around them had disappeared. There were no stars, no sky, no camp. Just the two of them.
When they finally pulled apart, the silence that followed was deafening.
A minuteter.
Lucas sat up slowly, his mind still reying the sensation of that kiss. Although Fischl had acted boldly, she was clearly flustered afterward. Her face was as red as a ripe apple.
"D-Don''t get the wrong idea!" Fischl said, her voice defensive. "That was just... a ritual to cement our bond! You know, like... an exchange of saliva. Got it?"
"Is that so?" Lucas touched his lips, smiling. "It was a pretty sweet ritual."
"You...!" Fischl''s face grew even redder. She was about to retort when she noticed that Lucas had suddenly covered her mouth.
Wait, wait, what was happening?
The usually confident, dramatic girl felt her heart race. Could it be that this guy... wanted to take things even further?
What should I do?
After all, it was my own impulsive action that started this. Technically, if he''s getting carried away, I''m partly responsible too. But it was just a moment of impulse—I''m not mentally prepared for this at all!
Besides, the bond between master and servant... it''s basically the ultimate taboo!
Then again, as the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, haven''t I always sought out forbidden powers?
Lucas had no idea what sort of wild thoughts the girl he had his hand over was having. He had covered her mouth because he sensed something unusual in their surroundings.
"Shh!" Lucas whispered. "Something''s not right."
Just as he spoke, a faint purple light flickered from the nearby bushes, and several glowing purple orbs emerged.
"Seriously... you''re getting all worked up over that?" Fischl raised an eyebrow. "They''re just a few ''Electro Cicins.'' These bugs might release Electro energy, but they don''t actively attack humans."
However, before Fischl could finish speaking, she was immediately proven wrong. The dozen or so Electro Cicins suddenly shot out crackling orbs of electricity, aiming straight at the two of them.
Lucas quickly pushed Fischl behind him, drew the sword at his waist, and with a swift movement, the sound of a dragon''s roar echoed as he sliced through the iing orbs of electricity, reducing them to harmless sparks.
"Not bad at all~"
A feminine voice came from the shadows, and a figure d in purple, with a hood over her head, emerged. Surrounding her were several more Electro Cicins.
Though her eyes were covered by a ck blindfold, the half of her face that was visible hinted at a certain beauty.
The most striking feature, however, was the gem embedded in her chest, glowing with an ominous purple light. This wasn''t a Vision, but rather a "Delusion," an artificial power created by the Fatui.
Lucas, having once yed the role of "The Doctor" in the simtor, was quite familiar with it.
This woman was a special unit of the Fatui sorcerer corps—A Cicin Mage, skilled in controlling Electro Cicins to assist in battle.
Ordinary Cicin Mages could control around five or six Electro Cicins at most. But the fact that this one controlled dozens indicated she was no ordinary foe.
"Fatui again!" Fischl scowled. "These people just won''t leave us alone!"
"Little girl, did you just say ''again''?" The Cicin Mageughed seductively. "So it was you who dealt with the previous group of Fatui trying to collect materials, wasn''t it?"
Lucas couldn''t help but sigh. Fischl''s quick mouth had given them away— in more ways than one.
It was clear that this Cicin Mage was allied with the Fatui group they had already encountered.
Now that their cover was blown, it was obvious that this woman could not be allowed to leave alive.
Lucas hadn''t even realized it himself, but his thought process had subtly shifted. In the past, he might not have decided to kill so quickly.
"Fischl, go wake the others," Lucas said, not turning to look at her. "I''ll handle this."
But Fischl didn''t respond. Instead, there was a soft "thud," and she copsed onto the soft grass, unconscious.
"Fischl?"
Lucas was momentarily surprised but quickly noticed something else. A faint pink mist was wafting through the air, carrying a sweet, intoxicating scent.
"This is..." With his Medical Sage talent, Lucas immediately recognized the smell. "Daigo Fragrance?"
"My, my, you''re quite knowledgeable, aren''t you?" The Cicin Mage giggled. "That''s right. I''m here to take you alive. Maybe I can get some useful information out of you. This Daigo Fragrance isn''t cheap, you know."
The "Daigo Fragrance" was an extract from flowers that, when inhaled, made one feel as though they''d drunk too much strong liquor.
It didn''t take long for Fischl, still a young girl, to sumb. Lucas, with his unusually strong constitution, had managed to resist so far. Since the fragrance wasn''t technically a poison, his Regenerative Factor wasn''t counteracting it, but even Lucas was starting to feel light-headed.
"You''re holding up well. Impressive," the Cicin Mage said as she confidently approached him. "I wonder... are you just as good atsting in other situations? Hehehe..."
But at that moment, Lucas suddenly opened his palm and tossed a handful of seeds onto the ground.
In an instant, the seeds seemed toe alive, burrowing into the soil. Soon, the ground bulged, and arge vine burst forth, quickly growing into a massive flower with a trumpet-shaped bloom. The flower began to suck in the pink mist, rapidly clearing the air of the Daigo Fragrance.
"A Dust-Eater Flower?! How did it grow so fast?" The Cicin Mage looked shocked. "Are you a Vision holder, attuned to the Dendro element?"
Close, but not entirely right.
Before setting off, Lucas had bought some special seeds from a flower shop in Liyue to prepare for unexpected situations. Using his Dendro Archon Gene, he had the ability to make them grow instantly.
It seemed his n had worked.
With the Daigo Fragrance gone, his vision cleared.
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Author''s Note: Worry not I''ll post the extra chaps tomorrow and sunday so make sure to keep voting if you want more!