章 29: Chapter 29: Welcome Back
Archaeology was Rama's old profession.
Before sparking the rebellion, he led the tribe's warriors in excavating the remnants of the Scarlet King's ruins.
In truth, the actual value of this work was minimal.
No one could truly grasp the core technologies of the Scarlet King; they were beyond the reach of the people of Teyvat. It was impossible to learn from him.
The purpose of these excavations, then, was reduced to unearthing ancient relics to sell for money.
The desert people scoffed at the symbolic value of these relics, but once they realized these could be exchanged for food and water, their enthusiasm soared.
Moreover, both the Fatui and the scholars from the rainforest were eager to dig up these ruins.
If your enemies are doing it, you must either stop them or join them. Indifference is not an option.
But this time, Rama was alone.
He was adept at this work, and the desert sands didn't pose many threats.
"Mechanical ruins, and they've been activated."
Rama examined the ruin before him. "Have the Fatui already excavated this place?"
This was a location provided by the Fatui, so it was possible they had already explored it.
Deciphering it wasn't complicated.
When academic skills reach a breakthrough, the system would automatically extrapolate from his foundational knowledge, offering Rama more development directions.
Having some of the foundational technologies of the Scarlet King, even without any further development ideas, the system could still extrapolate new paths when he reached the necessary level.
On the path of the Scarlet King's technology, only the Scarlet King himself could possibly go further than Rama.
Rama had reached the end of this path. To take another step forward would require tapping into the power of the Abyss.
This was a dead end.
Khaenri'ah had been sealed off, and the Scarlet King had been warned by the authorities. Rama found this path intriguing but wasn't ready to confront the divine threat above just yet.
Rama's decoding work progressed smoothly.
Just as he was about to open the door completely, he sensed something and stepped back.
The door opened on its own.
Something inside wanted to come out.
This wasn't surprising.
The Scarlet King's ruins were always filled with autonomous mechanisms, and these constructs were a resource for trade in the desert.
Scholars in the rainforest loved to study these things. Their demand gave these constructs value.
But what emerged from the door was not what Rama had expected—it was a person.
The girl shielded her eyes with her hand.
The light inside the ruins was soft, a stark contrast to the harsh sunlight of the desert.
She stumbled out into the open world.
"Wind..."
She reached out, feeling the breeze.
Rama took her hand. She should have resisted, but it was a perfect opportunity.
The warmth of another human's touch was more exhilarating than the wind and light; she instinctively reached out with her other hand.
"Who... please...?" Her voice was filled with emotion but her words were unclear, beyond the comprehension of any human.
But in suitable circumstances, even unsolvable linguistic issues can become clear quickly.
It was likely she was asking, "Who are you?" or saying, "I need help."
Rama took off his sun hat and placed it on the girl's head.
"Of course, I'm happy to help you."
He glanced at the Vision hanging on her dress. His tone was gentle.
"I'm a mercenary of the Gilded Brigade. As long as the employer pays Mora, I'll gladly accept your commission."
An unexpected but delightful discovery.
In the original timeline, Faruzan would have been mentally exhausted from the long-term deciphering work after escaping the ruins.
She would only want to return to Sumeru City to see her family and teachers.
This belief sustained her through the deciphering and escape, and when she finally got out, she acted on this thought alone.
Faruzan would have journeyed through the desert, following the wind's direction, and nearly starved to death from forgetting to eat.
A passing merchant caravan would have found her and taken her back to the Akademiya.
After several months of recovery, she would barely regain her sanity and be able to communicate normally again.
But it would be too late.
Without the Akasha Terminal, the Akademiya wouldn't even have been able to confirm her identity.
Everything she knew and everyone she was familiar with would have vanished into history.
She maintained a fresh scholar's mindset, but the world told her, "Your world is a hundred years gone."
By then, it would have been too late for anything. She had to live in accordance with her old understanding of the world, eventually becoming a scholar with an inexplicable obsession with her predecessors.
Freshly emerged from the ruins, Faruzan's only desire was to return to the Akademiya. This was the foundation of her deciphering efforts.
Rama's appearance interrupted her fixation. Encountering another living human stimulated her mind.
But it wasn't much help.
A person's will can hardly overcome their body's responses.
Even though the relic's power preserved her body perfectly, a century of isolation left its mark on her soul.
Rama was certain she couldn't understand his words, only seeking another living presence.
Even if it were a desert scorpion, Faruzan would have clung to it at this moment.
In the sunlight, she clung tightly to Rama's wrist, not daring to let go.
After a few attempts at communication, Rama confirmed that Faruzan's consciousness was completely blurred.
Her brain wasn't damaged—the relic's divine power was too potent, preserving her body perfectly over a century without any additional impact.
But it had been a century-long work experience without any human interaction.
She could still remember she was human, probably thanks to the power of her Vision.
Typically, a century without communication or interaction would theoretically degrade her language system entirely.
The ruins preserved her body, but the solitude imprinted a mark on her soul.
Given time, she could recover.
But how long would it take for her soul to return from the world a century ago to today?
Rama gently embraced the confused girl, unaware of the dramatic changes in her fate.
His expression was compassionate as he whispered, "Welcome back, Faruzan."
(End of Chapter)
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