Genshin Impact: The Road to Reversal

Chapter 566 Returning to the "Hometown"

The sudden news threw everyone into a state of confusion.

None of them expected that the woman known as "Aregino" was actually Peruvé.

But the timeline doesn't match at all! She clearly participated in the trials and became a paladin in the same era as me! How could she have appeared at the crime scene two hundred years ago, and as Phoenix's assistant?

unless……

An utterly absurd yet uniquely plausible possibility surfaced in Clementine's mind like ice breaking.

Time travel.

This view was quickly rejected by both Zhao Heng and Zi Xuan.

“That’s impossible. Mo Yan said that Diablo said this when he took him and Karin to review history. The cause and effect of history cannot be changed because of someone. Even if Aletschno really stumbled upon Talduffer’s transaction with the thief, even if she wanted to, history would not be rewritten by her.”

"But how do you explain this photo? It can't have just happened out of nowhere," Zixuan asked.

The situation has taken a new turn, but the news we've received is also more perplexing.

Clementine gazed at the figure in the photo and fell into deep thought once more.

"Ah, I'm afraid the only option is to go back to the orphanage."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two of them suddenly looked up.

"Ah, are you serious? It's been two hundred years already. Even if we went back, there wouldn't be any clues." Zixuan said, her eyes wide.

“I know that, but we have to try our luck now,” Clementine said, spreading her hands. “I think if this is really related to Pepe, then she should have left something for us somewhere at the crime scene.”

Hearing this, Zixuan shook her head helplessly again: "I just want to ask, how did you come up with such a far-fetched reason..."

At this moment, Zhao Heng said calmly, "Heh, anyway, we haven't found anything yet, so it won't hurt to go and take a look."

Hearing this, Zixuan had no choice but to compromise.

……

After explaining everything, Claire led the two away from the police station. Under her guidance, they soon arrived at the orphanage from years ago, but with the passage of time, the abandoned orphanage had become unrecognizable.

The building, once filled with laughter and joy amidst deception, is now nothing but ruins. The decaying wooden structure has mostly collapsed, covered by thick snow and withered vines, with only a few mottled stone walls stubbornly standing, telling the story of the ruthlessness of time.

Clementine stood before the ruins, her expression somewhat dazed. The front door, the corridor, the room where the children huddled together, Talduffer's office that always smelled of candy... all blurred in this mess.

"Looks like... it was a wasted trip." Zixuan looked around and sighed. Forget clues, they couldn't even find a complete room.

Zhao Heng carefully examined the structure of the ruins, trying to reconstruct the layout of the building in his mind.

"According to the case file, the crime scene was in Talduffer's office. If we could find that location..."

Clementine didn't respond; she closed her eyes, seemingly sensing something. The flame at her fingertips burned quietly, dispelling the surrounding chill.

A moment later, she opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on a corner of the ruins. It looked no different from the rest of the place, but she walked straight over there.

"Cressy?" Zixuan followed, puzzled.

Clementine stopped in front of a half-collapsed stone wall, partially buried in snow. She reached out and gently brushed away the snow, revealing a decaying wooden table beneath.

She stroked the weathered surface; despite being decayed for a century, she still remembered this desk—the very desk that Talduffer had once used.

Memories of the past surge back like a tide, and even if there were deceptions among them, the ordinariness and joy of childhood cannot be forgotten.

At this moment, Zhao Heng walked over, looked around and pondered for a moment: "It's collapsed like this, I'm afraid there are no clues left to find."

Zixuan nodded, spreading her hands and saying, "Yes, even if something was left behind back then, given the condition of this place, it would either have been picked up by someone or it would have already corroded."

Upon hearing this, Clementine remained silent. She looked around, her gaze sweeping over every inch of the landscape, from every blade of grass and tree to the ruins, from the snow-covered ground to the broken walls.

Finally, she sighed reluctantly, "Heh...you're right, I was just having illusions. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, I'm not blaming you," Zhao Heng comforted him.

At this moment, Zixuan took two steps forward and said, "It seems there's nothing left to investigate here. Rather than staying here feeling down, we should head back first."

After listening, Clementine nodded.

Just as the three turned around to leave this deceitful place, a strange red light suddenly flashed from the ruins behind them.

Zhao Heng was immediately drawn to the unusual sight. He stopped and turned to look at the source of the light.

“There…it looks like something is glowing.”

Upon hearing this, Claire and Zixuan immediately turned around. They saw a faint, dark red light emanating from a crack in the stone beneath the decaying desk.

Zhao Heng stepped forward, brushed aside the snow, and after searching around, found a red crystal in a crevice.

“This is… a gemstone?” Claire tilted her head.

"It looks familiar, but I can't quite place it." Zixuan pondered carefully.

Just as everyone was wondering, the gemstone emitted a dazzling, strange light once more. The three instinctively shielded their eyes with their hands, and when they opened them again, the orphanage before them had vanished into a phantom, reverting to its state before it was abandoned.

"Is this... an echo of a memory? Or some kind of magical record?" Zixuan looked around warily.

Sunlight streamed through the still-intact glass windows, illuminating the clean floor. The walls were pristine white, and the air still carried the faint scents of food and soap. The laughter of children drifted from a distant room; everything seemed so…normal.

In the hallucination, Talduffer still wore the same smile that Clementine remembered.

Until two uninvited guests wearing sunglasses and dressed in black arrived.

They carried a heavy box into Darduffer's office. When they opened the box, it was full of raw gems and Heart of the Icefield.

"Wow, 3000 Primogems and 200 Iceborne Hearts! This buyer is really going all out!"

"That's necessary, but the buyer requires that the 'goods' must be in perfect condition and without the slightest defect."

The man in black spoke in a low, cautious voice.

"Of course, of course. Rest assured, the buyer can be absolutely certain that the goods will not have the slightest flaw in my possession."

Talduffer rubbed his hands together, his face plastered with a greedy and fawning smile, a far cry from the amiable figure he remembered.

It was only then that they realized that this was the scene from 200 years ago when Talduffer made a deal with the thugs.

"Heh. Who would have thought that Mr. Talduffer, the renowned director of this orphanage, is secretly our 'golden supplier'?"

Another man in black let out a low, mocking laugh.