nycdaug Chapter 559 It all depends on what you do.
Chapter 559 It all depends on what you do.
"Before I came in, I thought this cave was where my cheap old man hid some shady things. I didn't expect so many people to come and go every day."
Kong, with a blank expression: "Cheap..."
Paimon, equally stunned, murmured, "Dad..."
After serving the food to Kong and Paimon, who were sitting at the table, Sanbing quickly set out the bowls and chopsticks, and thoughtfully gave Paimon a small spoon.
"What kind of wine do you want to drink? Haha, don't look at me like that. So far, I haven't found anyone in this cave who can't drink. Even Aji can drink half a jin! Qianfeng? That's my favorite. I chilled two jars of it on the floating island. You can try some."
The stragglers turned back and ran a few steps, then shouted to Wendy by the spring, "Hey bro, give me a way out."
Wendy waved his hand and unleashed "Embrace of the Wind," a whirlwind that steadily carried the stragglers onto the floating island before gently landing them.
The soldier, carrying two jars of wine under his arm, gave Wendy a thumbs-up and said, "Great teamwork, good brother, I'll give you half a jar."
Kong, still with a blank expression, said, "Okay..."
Paimon, who was recovering quickly, said, "Brother..."
The world has indeed been changed. Although we went out to explore, it seems that the world itself has not changed much, but the world around us has been completely transformed!
Look at this lively and adorable little boy, look at that cowardly guy who's fallen to the nephew's generation, and next to him, Brother Xu with the kind old father's expression.
"So? After going around in circles, did you find anything?"
Xu Ning placed a large slice of her favorite honey-glazed carrot and pork on Paimon's plate, gesturing for everyone to start eating, and then asked a question.
Paimon took a big bite, exchanged a glance with Sora, and then swallowed, saying, "Does this place count too?"
Nasida, sitting opposite, immediately laughed. "The situation here is a bit special, so of course it doesn't count."
Kong finally came to his senses and looked at the stragglers who were drinking with Wendy. He said with a complicated expression, "There's basically no change. However, according to the records in those historical documents, the things that were supposed to happen still happened, and the final results were all similar. They have basically no impact on the present, except... maybe, except for him."
"That's... kind of sad. They gave up everything, only to change the world a little bit."
Xu Ning sighed and downed the wine in his bowl in one gulp. "I'm increasingly reluctant to let him face this kind of life."
Nasida gently tugged at Xu Ning's sleeve. "Xu Ning, we made a promise."
Xu Ning remained silent for a while, then let out a long sigh, "Let's finish eating."
After everyone had finished eating, as Sanbing was about to help Qingyi clear the dishes, Xu Ning stopped him and asked him to sit down.
The stragglers looked at the group sitting at the table with some confusion.
Xu Ning pointed to Kong and Paimon, then to Naxida, and finally to himself.
"Almost all the people who wanted to kill you to save Sumeru last time are sitting here."
The soldier was speechless for a long time before laughing out loud, "I've thought about what kind of person I am countless times, but I never expected to be told this under these circumstances."
Xu Ning looked at the scattered soldiers and suddenly laughed.
“Actually, once you leave this Dust Concealment Gourd, there are probably only a handful of people in the entire Teyvat who would recognize you. The only ones who know your true identity are the people inside this gourd. If you are willing to take what I just said as a joke, then I really did tell a joke after dinner.”
The soldier said in surprise, "When I heard your first words, I almost thought I was some kind of villainous demon king. But now you're telling me that hardly anyone on the entire continent knows me anymore? Was that your doing?"
Xu Ning shook his head. "No, you did it yourself."
The soldier said with a hint of regret, "It's such a pity. If you had done it, I would have truly believed that you were my adoptive father."
"I really am. Never mind, let's discuss that later. Right now, I just want one thing from you: if you feel that your current life is okay, and you can let go of all those forgotten things from the past, you can completely become a new person. You don't need to be burdened by those memories that have become nothing but dreams. What do you think?"
The soldier glanced back at the dog frolicking in the garden, then at Wendy, who was silently eavesdropping nearby. "If... I chose my past self, what would you do?"
"We won't do anything, the key is how you do it."
The soldier nodded. "Could you briefly tell me about my situation? Please try to be as objective as possible, as I hope I can make an accurate judgment."
Nasita, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Then why don't I speak? After all, I'm the only one here who has seen the complete memories of the skirmishers, right?"
Xu Ning and Kong had no objections. After all, no matter how detailed their knowledge was, it couldn't compare to the more accurate information Nasita obtained from the World Tree.
The group listened silently as Naxida recounted the life of the deserter.
In the end, it was the stragglers who spoke first.
"If that's the case, then I'm definitely a bad person."
Paimon couldn't help but nod. "That's true. So you know, when we entered the Dust-Hidden Cave and saw such an incongruous version of you, the shock we felt was as great as the entire Sumeru..."
Upon hearing Paimon's exaggerated description, the stragglers chuckled self-deprecatingly, then turned to look at Xu Ning.
"So, my dear father, why did you take in such a villain? Was it purely out of pity and sympathy, or did you intend to use me for other purposes?"
Paimon covered his mouth in surprise and said, "Wow, the way you talk is just like that guy from before..."
Xu Ning stopped Paimon, "Just consider it sympathy. Seeing that you even gave up your life and your past existence, only to receive an imperfect ending, I thought I'd lend you a hand, since the past karma has all disappeared..."
The soldier laughed and replied, "...If cause and effect disappear, will the karmic burden accumulated from past sins also disappear? Besides, I am a puppet. Without these karmic consequences and sins, what can motivate me to live in this world?"
Xu Ning shook his head. "I am now weaving new karma for you. Once you form new karma with everyone in Chenyin Cave, the past karma will no longer be necessary."
The stragglers looked around at everything they had just become familiar with in the Hidden Dust Cave: the people they had just met, the wine they had tasted, and the dogs they had played with.
“I still want to see for myself and experience the sins I committed, but I will not forget what you have done for me. If those past events can truly bring me peace as everyone’s memory of me fades, I will come back here to thank you.”