Noah extended his perception across Narukami Island, and his gaze ultimately rested on the figure of the fox-masked shrine maiden in front of a dilapidated shrine. She was calmly purging the earth of the malice flowing from its depths.
"Yes, she exists… but she's only a hollow shell, constructed from lingering memories and obsessions."
As he spoke, Noah snapped his fingers with a crisp snap. Utilizing his spatial authority, he transported Hakushin Kitsune within moments to where they stood.
Hakushin Kitsune, in the middle of purging the land's malice, was startled by the sudden change in location. However, upon seeing Yae Miko and Raiden Ei, she quickly composed herself and respectfully bowed.
"Hakushin greets the Shogun."
Yae Miko, visibly puzzled, stepped forward. After all, Kitsune Saiguu was a yokai. Approaching Hakushin, she carefully sensed the aura emanating from her, and sure enough, it was unmistakably that of Kitsune Saiguu. Her lips quivered slightly, and her eyes glistened with emotion. Her voice trembled as she spoke softly, "Lady Saiguu…"
Hakushin hesitated for a moment, then sighed lightly and replied, "Lady Guuji Yae, I am not Kitsune Saiguu. I am merely a construct of her memories and the Ley Line energy—an amalgamation of her lingering will. Aimlessly wandering the world without a purpose."
Yae Miko did not respond, but instead turned her gaze toward Noah.
Behind Noah, the Primordial Ring of Law appeared. The radiant, multicolored halo encircling him exuded an aura of divine sanctity and absolute supremacy. His golden eyes glimmered as he stepped forward.
"How fortunate. Kitsune Saiguu's constellation remains completely intact. This means I can fully restore her."
As he spoke, the power of the constellation system began to activate.
Simultaneously, six false stars high above the skies, usually imperceptible, suddenly blazed with brilliant light. Even though it was broad daylight, their luminosity pierced the heavens, becoming clearly visible.
"If even a small part of her constellation had shattered, not even the Heavenly Principles could restore her."
The gods, being fragments of the Primordial Ring of Law, can never truly perish so long as he, the Heavenly Principle, do not destroy them. But those beneath the rank of gods are not so fortunate.
The constellation system, which governs Teyvat, determines the fate of every individual by crafting a constellation for them.
When a person dies, their constellation dims. Over time, it gradually corrodes and disintegrates, eventually fading into nothingness. The duration of this process varies—some constellations may persist for millennia, while others crumble within just seven days of death.
A constellation records everything about an individual: their fate, their life's trajectory, and all the information that defines their existence.
As someone who had completely mastered the Human Realm Force System, Noah could reignite a person's constellation. By gathering the scattered fragments of their existence across Teyvat, he could reconstruct their memories from the Ley Lines, retrieve their consciousness, and reform their decayed body. By injecting the essence of life, full resurrection could be achieved.
At the moment Kitsune Saiguu's constellation was reignited, Hakushin began to emit a radiant light. Across the lands of Inazuma, countless firefly-like specks of light emerged and converged toward Yashiori Island, gradually flowing toward the peak of Mount Yougou.
The people of Inazuma, witnessing this phenomenon, turned their eyes toward the Grand Narukami Shrine on Mount Yougou. They were astonished, but not alarmed. Instead, they casually enjoyed their snacks, marveling at the scene like an enchanting spectacle.
After all, the Grand Narukami Shrine's Lady Guuji Yae was a yokai herself, and she was also the Shogun's retainer. To the citizens, such miraculous occurrences were well within the realm of possibility.
Hakushin, now enveloped in the cascading light, gazed at the stream of luminescence pouring into her form. "This… What is this?"
Beneath her fox mask, her previously lifeless eyes gradually flickered with a glimmer of vitality.
Kamisato Ayaka and Kamisato Ayato quietly watched the unfolding scene.
Having already experienced traveling to another world and contributed greatly to the survival of Teyvat, the siblings had developed a sense of composure that was hard to shake.
To them, resurrecting a figure as significant as Kitsune Saiguu from 500 years ago was an awe-inspiring event, but in comparison to something as colossal as annexing an entire world, it seemed far less overwhelming.
Yae Miko, however, was transfixed. She stared intently at Hakushin, who was now surrounded by countless points of light. Each of these lights carried the aura of Kitsune Saiguu.
As the shimmering motes drifted by her, fragments of Kitsune Saiguu's memories flashed within her mind. Without realizing it, Miko's nose reddened, and her expression softened.
Five hundred years ago, she would often perch on Kitsune Saiguu's shoulder, playfully sniffing at the smoke rings she blew. Back then, she'd swipe at them with her paws in feigned annoyance.
Since the day Kitsune Saiguu left and never returned, even the smoke rings she used to dislike had become a cherished memory she could no longer experience.
Tears unknowingly welled up in Yae Miko's eyes.
Noticing her expression, Noah materialized a Kamera in his hand and captured the moment on film.
Yae Miko, now aware of his actions, didn't bother to be annoyed. Instead, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and smiled through them, overwhelmed with joy.
"You really are such a strange god," she said with a mix of amusement and emotion. "You're a good person, but why must you have such a nasty personality?"
Noah gave her a faint smile but didn't offer an explanation. Silently, he stored the Kamera away.
Meanwhile, the six stars that had illuminated the sky above had drawn the attention of many across Teyvat. However, most people dismissed them as a peculiar celestial event. Only a select few understood their true significance.
At Liyue Harbor, Zhongli, seated at a tea house and enjoying an opera alongside some tea, merely glanced up at the phenomenon.
He understood that this was nothing more than a reward bestowed by the Heavenly Principle upon Inazuma.
However, the young woman sitting beside him chattered on and on about the stars, leaving him to sigh in quiet resignation.
This child… how is it that I still cannot handle her?
At the same time, in Mondstadt, the astrologist Mona was mid-task, begrudgingly carrying out her master's request to retrieve an old chest. She froze in place, her eyes widening in disbelief as she stared at the six luminous stars shining in the daylight sky.
The astrolabe in her hands spun frantically, almost to the point of overheating.
"This… this is impossible!" Mona exclaimed.
"A constellation that has been extinguished for hundreds of years is now shining again?! How can this happen?"
Her voice trembled, a mix of disbelief and apprehension.
"The dead are like extinguished lamps. This is no joke. Something like this has never occurred before. Could someone be using some sort of forbidden art to resurrect a person from centuries past?"
As the thought struck her, her face grew pale.
"If that's really the case, it would be the ultimate defiance of natural order! Something like that would surely bring about divine retribution!"
Even as an astrologist skilled in divining fate, Mona had never dared to alter anyone's destiny. Her master's words echoed in her mind: tampering with fate was akin to unleashing a domino effect, where altering a single life could ripple outward to change countless others. The weight of such causality was unbearable, even for gods.
If destiny's course were disrupted too much, the consequence would inevitably be divine punishment.
"That's what my master warned me about—her most serious caution when she sent me off on my own."
Indeed, meddling with fate was no trivial matter. To peer into destiny and actively change its trajectory risked causing countless lives to unravel. In the end, it would wreak havoc on the Constellation System itself.
And the Constellation System was a core authority of the Heavenly Principle. Overstepping its boundaries? Naturally, that would invite retribution from the heavens.
Mona's stomach growled audibly, breaking her train of thought. She pressed a hand to her stomach and sighed.
"First the old hag sends me out to retrieve a box, and now I've stumbled into five… no, six—wait, seven, eight, nine, ten strange incidents in a row. Something tells me this box retrieval isn't going to go smoothly."
She let out a frustrated huff.
"Seriously, why didn't the old hag just go fetch it herself?"
Meanwhile, the vessel of Kitsune Saiguu, which had been formed from her memories and residual energy, was now fully transformed, brimming with vitality.
Her fox-like white ears stood upright on her head, and her short silver hair appeared smooth and neat. Life emanated naturally from her being, as if she were an extension of nature itself. Suddenly, with a cracking sound, the fox mask on her face split apart.
The fox mask she wore cracked with an audible snap, the fragments falling away to reveal an exquisitely beautiful face beneath.
Her golden eyes opened slowly, clear and full of life.
But before her awareness could fully settle, she was swept into a warm embrace.
A voice, trembling with emotion, reached her ears, tinged with both joy and sorrow.
"Lady Saiguu… Miko has missed you so much…"
The embrace tightened as the words spilled out, carrying the weight of five centuries of longing.
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