"It can generate consciousness?!"
Could that physical body truly generate consciousness?
But her own consciousness hadn't even returned yet, hadn't entered that body!
Rukkhadevata: "The truth is drawing incredibly close. Next, let's go to the Mausoleum of King Deshret."
Just moments ago, "she" had mentioned that the Second Vessel was located in the Mausoleum of King Deshret. Whether the situation was as Rukhadevata suspected could only be confirmed by investigating the Crypt.
Lumine nodded solemnly. Her intuition told her that the truth behind Silaya's final gambit would shatter her understanding of reality.
-
Player World
[ Silaya is still going all out! ]
[ She actually did so much back then, and we didn't even notice! ]
[ If we had noticed, things would have been catastrophic. I bet all this was done when Silaya went back 500 years ago. ]
[ Yeah, even Gods fear death. Imagine how terrifying it must have been for a mere mortal like Silaya. ]
[ Dude, are you seriously calling Silaya a "mere mortal"? What kind of "mere mortal" does this?! ]
[ Rukkhadevata seems to imply that Silaya originally had a chance to save herself, but later abandoned the plan. Did I understand that correctly? ]
[ That's my interpretation too. Since the plan was completed 500 years ago, something must have happened—something so drastic that she preferred being deleted to pursuing it. ]
[ 500 years ago... the body developed self-awareness... ]
[ Holy shit, I just thought of a possibility! ]
[ Me too! No, no, no! Please don't let it be true! ]
-
Sumeru.
A group of five, using Lumine's Serenitea Pot, arrived at the Mausoleum of King Deshret and immediately began their descent into the Crypt.
They bypassed the upper levels entirely, heading straight for the Crypt.
The Crypt was filled with King Deshret's advanced technology and intricate mechanisms, but these posed no obstacle to Rukkhadevata.
The group swiftly reached the lowest level of the Mausoleum.
"Over here," Rukkhadevata said.
Having battled Forbidden Knowledge for centuries, she was acutely sensitive to its presence. While there was no trace of Forbidden Knowledge here, a lingering, corrupting aura remained, like the aftermath of contamination.
They came to an open area where stone bricks were collapsing one by one, revealing a downward-sloping pit.
"Let's go."
Rukkhadevata, Lumine, Paimon, Fidelle, and the others jumped down one by one, leaving only Chu Xi behind.
The Ability Core embedded in her chest pulsed with a frantic hum, betraying her inner panic and tension.
Instead of following the others down the hole, Chu Xi approached a nearby wall and pressed her hand against it. The wall crumbled, revealing a hidden staircase leading downward.
Taking a deep breath, Chu Xi stepped into the darkness.
-
After Lumine and her companions descended, they discovered a vast collection of alchemical materials neatly arranged around the Crypt.
In the center stood a Synthesis Table, now damaged and emanating an ominous, pitch-black aura.
"Whoa, look over there!" Paimon exclaimed, pointing deeper into the darkness.
Following Paimon's gaze, the group noticed a massive glass tank—more accurately, a cultivation tank. The tank was enormous, stretching from floor to ceiling of the Crypt. Since its contents were long gone, it blended almost seamlessly into the darkness, making it nearly invisible without careful scrutiny.
Rukkhadevata murmured, "This must be the 'Second Vessel' she spoke of—the physical body she prepared for herself..."
Lumine slowly approached the tank. It was completely empty.
"There's a hole here! Whatever was inside escaped!"
A large hole gaped in the side of the tank. Dark brown stains on the floor suggested that the liquid within had leaked out and evaporated, leaving behind these residue marks.
Fidelle, who had been meticulously examining the scene's minute details, commented, "Judging by the undisturbed condition of this place, it seems no one else has been here besides us."
"So, the destruction here was caused by something inside, breaking out from within, not by external forces. But the visibility range here is so wide. If whatever was inside breached the barrier and escaped, we'd never find it here..."
"There must be another mechanism nearby!" Paimon exclaimed.
Click-clack-clack...
No sooner had Paimon spoken than the sound of a mechanism whirring to life echoed through the chamber. A staircase descended from above, connecting directly to their level.
"Chu Xi?!" Paimon cried out in surprise. They hadn't realized Chu Xi was still up there!
Chu Xi slowly descended the staircase, coming to stand before Lumine and Paimon.
"Chu Xi, how did you know there was a mechanism here?" Lumine asked.
Chu Xi pointed to her left eye. "This eye can scan the terrain's structure. After you fell, I tried using it, and that's how I found this mechanism."
"Your chest... what's going on with it?" Fidelle asked, her gaze fixed on the faint, flickering glow of the Energy Core on Chu Xi's chest, which was particularly conspicuous in the dim light.
Chu Xi patted her chest, and the core's flickering ceased. She nodded briefly at Fidelle, offering no further explanation.
Lumine: "Chu Xi, be careful and stick close to us."
"Mhm, mhm."
After cautioning Chu Xi, Lumine turned to the pensive Rukkhadevata and asked, "You said earlier that we could learn the whole truth here. I'm still a bit confused. Could you explain?"
Rukkhadevata crouched down, her delicate hand tracing the residue left by evaporated liquid in the incubation tank. She gently rubbed the dried film between her fingers.
"Before I answer your question, I have one for you."
Lumine: "Ask away."
Rukkhadevata: "In the moments before 'she' decided to erase herself, you must have... seen 'her' one last time... correct?"
Lumine: "Yes, we saw her one last time."
Rukkhadevata: "Do you remember who was present on your side when you last saw her?"
Who was there...?
Lumine thought carefully, then answered, "Me, Paimon, Nahida, Alhaitham, and... Chu Xi..."
"Chu Xi..."
Rukkhadevata murmured the name, glancing at the utterly perplexed Chu Xi. With a sigh, she began to recount everything she had learned so far about 'her' plan:
"Before it all began, 'she' learned of my plan—the one you all know about—to erase both me and the Forbidden Knowledge contaminating Irminsul. From that moment, 'she' resolved to be deleted by Irminsul in my stead."
"Even now, I struggle to understand exactly how 'she' managed to successfully replace me and ultimately be deleted by Irminsul. Let's skip over that part for now..."
"Irminsul's mechanism prevents anyone of its lineage from deleting themselves. Even if they could, significant traces of Forbidden Knowledge would remain, rendering such deletion meaningless."
"My plan was for Nahida to delete me. Her plan, however, was... to extract the indelible Forbidden Knowledge, return to five hundred years ago, and use the Forbidden Knowledge from that era to attract and absorb the Malice and calamity brought by 'her' Forbidden Knowledge. With the remaining power, 'she' would forge a new body to return to Teyvat."
"After all, Forbidden Knowledge... is a power from beyond this world. Only a power from beyond this world could make it accept one's consciousness."