**Chapter 42: Who Is This?**
In Snezhnaya, the woman who stood high above, as ethereal as snow and as pure as a soul, lowered her frost-laden brows and gazed southwestward.
The moonlight was deep and cold, illuminating the crescent moon with a brilliant glow.
*Can this power truly be harnessed by me?*
*After five centuries, the greatest upheaval has come from a Descender.*
She held two God's Hearts in her hands, idly toying with them while murmuring to herself.
"A knight? What kind of being will the Adeptus girl's knight become? And what lies beyond this false starry sky?"
***
This strike drove one of the Harbingers into further madness.
"This is the power I've been seeking! How many secrets does my colleague harbor? Adeptus, Crescent Moon, a being not of this world... Tsk tsk.
Scaramouche couldn't even compare to a fraction of his potential. He'll become an experiment that transcends the entire world.
If I could, I'd truly seize the secrets from beyond this world hidden within him."
The other segments began mocking him relentlessly.
"You're insane! That power is beyond our grasp!"
"We can pry into the power of the Seven Gods and the secrets of the World Tree, but this power... we can't even approach it."
"He may not possess secrets of this world, but his secrets far surpass anything within it. Dottore, we must not presume to overstep our bounds."
"You wouldn't invite disaster upon yourself, would you, Dottore?"
Faced with the other segments' opposition, Dottore's desire to uncover everything about Jingchen only intensified.
As for these segments, it seemed their paths were diverging from his own.
On Mt. Aocang, even with the red rope binding her, Shenhe's eyes faintly betrayed her worry.
True Monarch Liu Yun Borrowing the Wind sighed helplessly, naturally noticing the change in Shenhe's eyes.
"Shenhe, you're worried about Junior Brother Jingchen, aren't you?"
"Yes, Master. Even from this distance in Inazuma, his Crescent Ice Blossom Sword Qi is unmistakable."
"What do you intend to do?"
"I want to go check on him."
"With Columbine there, you don't need to worry. Focus on your cultivation."
"But... Master... you said I should descend the mountain for worldly practice, didn't you?"
True Monarch Liu Yun Borrowing the Wind nodded with her eyes closed.
Shenhe had secretly prepared to use the excuse of worldly practice to travel to Inazuma alone.
Inside Yuehai Pavilion, Ganyu also sensed Jingchen's crescent moon power.
Keqing, who was working overtime with Ganyu, paused slightly.
"Ganyu, why are you staring at the moon like that?"
"Ah... Keqing, I'm sorry."
"You... you're not missing your junior brother Jingchen, are you?"
Ganyu offered no explanation, simply nodding slightly.
"Keqing, I just sensed Jingchen's power."
"It's him again?!"
Keqing couldn't help but put down her brush.
"Ganyu, do you know why I've been working so relentlessly these past few days, barely taking a single day off?!"
"Why? Why...?"
"Because every time I close my eyes, I dream of Jingchen, of Columbine by his side. And I can only watch from afar, just like before, unable to do anything."
Ganyu lowered her head and, in a rare moment of uncharacteristic behavior, muttered a soft complaint.
"Before Columbine, Junior Brother Jingchen confessed to you himself. You rejected him. What's the point of regretting it now?"
Keqing froze, each word from Ganyu piercing her heart.
"You... Ganyu, you... Stop talking. Just help me finish reviewing these documents! After all, Lord Emperor has departed. We can only rely on ourselves now."
Ganyu sighed inwardly. *Yes, the Rock Archon has departed. But why are you dragging me into this endless overtime with you?! We've already completed the plans for Liyue's next decade! Heavens, what exactly is Keqing trying to achieve?*
***
"Repeat after me: three, two, one; one, two, three..."
"Sister!!"
Jingchen jolted awake, realizing it had all been a dream—everything he'd experienced in that dream.
The Celestial Ark, Terminus, destruction, Light Cones, Mara-Struck, blood, Crescent Ice Blossom Sword Qi...
All of it vanished, dissolving into ephemeral illusions.
As the throbbing headache subsided slightly, Jingchen focused his vision and realized he was currently...
He scrambled to his feet, shaking off Yae Miko.
Yae Miko whispered into his ear from behind, "Aiya, little Jingchen, calling me 'Sister' is quite delightful, isn't it?"
"Yae Miko. I... Why—wait, when did I ever call you 'Sister'?!"
"Aiya, still a bit grumpy after waking up? Feeling a little indignant?"
"I... What exactly happened yesterday?!"
"Hmm? Yesterday, you became mine, you know."
In that instant, Jingchen felt the sky collapsing, his mind reeling. He stumbled backward in panic. *Could I have done something to betray Columbine?!*
*Aya has been so good to me—how could I ever betray her?!* *No, Yae Miko's tone is exactly the same as usual.*
*That's right, exactly the same.*
*She's almost certainly teasing me. Calm down, calm down.*
With a dark expression, Jingchen warned Yae Miko, "Yae Miko? Don't try to deceive me with such nonsense. This isn't funny."
Seeing Jingchen's grave and earnest demeanor, Yae Miko merely covered her mouth and chuckled derisively, just as she always did.
"I was just teasing you, Jingchen. I wanted to see that serious expression of yours."
"Yae Miko! You're absolutely hopeless!"
Jingchen stood up to leave, but Yae Miko grabbed his arm.
"Little Jingchen, are you really angry with Sister Yae Miko?!"
"Sister Yae Miko? Don't call me that! Yae Miko, stop talking nonsense."
"Sigh, fine, fine. You really don't remember anything from yesterday, do you?"
"No, I don't."
Yae Miko briefly recounted the events of the previous day, emphasizing the Crescent Ice Blossom Sword Qi. She stressed that it rivaled, or even surpassed, Raiden's Musou no Hitotachi.
Jingchen paused, stunned. Rivaling or surpassing Raiden's Musou no Hitotachi?! He had witnessed Lord Raiden's Musou no Hitotachi—a technique capable of shattering mountains and cleaving seas.
"I... Yae Miko, stop talking nonsense."
"Sigh, fine. Do you really have a sister?"
"I... I don't know."
"Hmm? Wait here a moment."
Yae Miko rummaged through her spatial pouch and retrieved a painting, handing it to Jingchen.
Jingchen took the painting and froze.
The woman in the portrait bore an uncanny resemblance to him—the same hair color, the same eyes, and nearly identical features. Her heroic bearing and resolute gaze radiated indomitable spirit.
"Yae Miko! Who commissioned this painting? And why are you spreading lies about me wearing such... such *outlandish* attire?!"
....................
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(End of Chapter)