Balladeer Hits a Tree

Losing the Gnosis was undoubtedly a devastating blow to Scaramouche at that time; he severed his connection to Shouki no Kami and ultimately plummeted from the machine with a thunderous crash.

In Heaven Dou City, at the branch of the Akademiya, Nahida looked toward Ouyang Kong.

Kong, why would I say on the Sky Screen that you are my first sage?

She did not voice this question; as the God of Wisdom, she could likely guess what had transpired.

Due to the rules of Teyvat, she had been forced to forget certain things, but now that she had left Teyvat, the forgotten memories should be reclaimed.

Nahida looked back at the Sky Screen, hoping it might provide her with the answers.

As Scaramouche fell from Shouki no Kami, the image on the Sky Screen slowly faded to black.

In truth, Scaramouche's longing for the Gnosis resonated deeply with many people on the Douluo Continent.

However, the nature of their resonance varied; some were moved by his plight, while others reflected on themselves, as they too were in pursuit of power.

Scaramouche himself, conversely, remained calm, having already lived through these events once before.

Most people were simply curious about what would happen next; now that the false god had been cast down from his pedestal, how would he be dealt with?

The Sky Screen did not keep them waiting long before a new scene slowly unfolded, revealing a beautiful, massive tree with a distinct, jagged fracture running through its center.

Scaramouche stood beneath the tree, with the Traveler behind him.

"We may begin, Lesser Lord Kusanali."

"Permission to enter Irminsul granted. Connection established."

A tree-shaped orb of light appeared, and Scaramouche and the Traveler stepped into it.

The screen flickered, turning a pale blue as the surroundings transformed into a data-streamed landscape—a scene incomprehensible to the people of the Douluo Continent.

The Sky Screen thoughtfully provided a text introduction.

[Irminsul: A place that records all data of the world; everything that occurs in the world is recorded by Irminsul.]

[Nahida is the custodian of Irminsul, responsible for maintaining its operations.]

[Having once ascended the divine throne, and due to the nature of his origins, Scaramouche possesses a sliver of authority within Irminsul.]

[Scaramouche is assisting Nahida in organizing information related to Irminsul.]

With the help of the text, most people finally understood what they were seeing.

As Scaramouche searched for information beneath Irminsul, he uncovered a specific segment of data, and the Sky Screen returned to Tatarasuna, to the moment Dottore murdered Niwa.

Scaramouche listened once more to the final words Niwa had left for him before his death.

"...Master Nagamasa... and I... and the others... all regard him as... one of our own."

"He need not do anything to prove himself; between people... there is more than just utility... only someone like you... would think otherwise."

In Martial Soul City, Scaramouche bowed his head in silence, mourning Niwa in his heart, while on the Sky Screen, the Scaramouche who had just learned the truth erupted into manic laughter.

"Hahaha, hahaha! Dottore! Dottore! Good, very good! Hahahaha!

Lesser Lord Kusanali, is this what you wanted me to see? These things... are already meaningless."

"Are they truly meaningless? At the very least, you now know the truth; you know that Niwa did not betray you. You, of all people, should understand the significance of that."

Nahida said nothing more, allowing Scaramouche time to compose himself.

Once he had calmed down, Scaramouche resumed his work, but the moment it was finished, he forcibly overrode his authority to shield Nahida from his actions.

He looked at the Traveler and reached out to take their hand.

"Tell me, does the 'history' of this world contain instances of being altered?"

The Traveler did not answer, but Scaramouche had already found his answer in the Traveler's expression.

"Thank you, Traveler. Leave this place quickly; we shall likely never meet again.

From this day forth, the names 'Balladeer' and 'Kunikuzushi' shall cease to exist!

Those who died in Tatarasuna, all those connected to me, deserve to have lived a different life."

The Sky Screen faded to black once more, and a line of text appeared.

[Scaramouche deleted his own existence from Irminsul, but he did not know that with his level of authority, it is impossible to delete oneself.]

Many on the Douluo Continent could not truly grasp the meaning of this, assuming simply that Scaramouche had committed suicide.

But in reality, this was something far more terrifying than death.

There is a saying that the end of life or the dissipation of the soul is not true death; true death is to be forgotten. When you are forgotten by everyone and all traces of your existence are erased, that is the true end.

Scaramouche's act of deleting himself from Irminsul was undoubtedly an attempt to die completely, leaving not even a trace of his existence behind.

Some might say he was running away, and they would not be wrong; he was indeed fleeing. But he was not fleeing from guilt—a man like him would never care for such things.

What he truly sought to escape was fate—the fate that had toyed with him—and he also wished to rewrite the tragic destinies of those in Tatarasuna who had cared for him: Niwa, Katsuragi, and Nagamasa.

However, the fate of Teyvat was already set in stone, and with only his meager authority over Irminsul, he could never hope to defy it.

"Heh, fate, is it? I have said it before: sooner or later, I will strike fate across the face!"

Scaramouche now understood that he could not shake the established fate of Teyvat, but that did not mean he was without a chance.

The incident with Little Durin has already demonstrated that fate is not invulnerable.

The Sky Screen unfurled once more, and at this moment, Scaramouche within the projection had changed into the attire shown at the very beginning.

However, the eyes of the Balladeer on the screen were now overly clear, much like those of a newborn infant.

He was curious about everything around him and treated everyone with great courtesy; he was very much like he had been when Katsuragi first brought him out of the Shakkei Pavilion.

Scaramouche had deleted his own data from the Irminsul, yet he could not delete his own existence, and so a Wanderer who had lost his memories appeared.

It was precisely because he had lost his memories that he had reverted to his newborn self.

At this, Tighnari, Cyno, and the others finally understood why they had lost their memories of Scaramouche.

At the same time, the people of the Douluo Continent understood why Scaramouche's age was listed as three years old.

Because the data had been deleted, his age had been reset as well.

Scaramouche's experiences could be described as tumultuous, full of narrative depth, and highly compelling.

In Heaven Dou City, at the branch of the Akademiya, Sethos asked Tighnari, "Tighnari, now that you know the truth, do you mind being struck by lightning by Scaramouche?"

Tighnari thought for a moment before replying, "I certainly mind, but he is now a member of the Akademiya, and Lesser Lord Kusanali must have had her reasons for taking him in.

Besides, since becoming Scaramouche, he has helped me with a few things, so I am able to let it go."