"Phew... The outcome of the battle is clear." With a bit of effort, the Moon Hunter stood up. "It seems that, in terms of strength alone, you've surpassed the limits of the Four Shades."
"But kid, you're not Descender, are you?"
"Of course not." Kang Jie shook his head.
"That's really something, it's unbelievable." A red space opened up behind the Moon Hunter. "But it's alright, from the battle just now, I sensed the incomplete Descender rank within you."
"According to the rules, even if Descender violates taboos, we don't need to intervene. The only one who can judge Descender is that sleeping bastard."
"Is it really okay to verbally abuse your current boss like this?" Kang Jie asked with a puzzled expression.
"What's good or bad about it? Just because Khaenri'ah is a beast doesn't mean that thing is right," Rerir shrugged. "And, kid, I have another piece of advice for you—"
"You'd better distance yourself from the Abyss. If you used your current powers to access Teyvat's past, you'd know that everyone who touched that thing met a terrible end."
"I'll remember that." He nodded.
"Well then, goodbye." With that, the current Ruler of Death, Rerir, vanished into the void.
Finally, Kang Jie had a moment to look down at the pale-faced woman:
"Who are you...?" Despite wielding terrifying power over time, Kang Jie had not yet developed the habit of using it.
"... The Eighth Seat of the Fatui, [ the La Signora ]." Despite her trembling voice, Rosalyne announced her name, "As the envoy of Snezhnaya, you'd better explain to me the current..."
"The envoy of Snezhnaya?" Kang Jie looked puzzled. "But you're clearly... Mondstadt person?"
Using his power over time, he skimmed through Rosalyne's past. Then, his expression grew increasingly strange.
"Why do you want to serve the Tsaritsa?" Just as Rosalyne was becoming increasingly uneasy due to the terrifying atmosphere around her, Kang Jie spoke seriously.
"Is there even a need to ask why?" Rosalyne retorted angrily, " The Tsaritsa accepted me and gave me a chance to take revenge on the Anemo Archon!"
"To seek revenge against the Anemo Archon...?" He shook his head regretfully. "Then I can only say that you've come to hate someone you shouldn't have."
"What exactly do you mean?" Rosalyne was completely enraged. "What do you know? And what right do you have to point fingers at me?"
"Come on, let me help you sort out the sequence of events..." And so, Kang Jie really began to recount the causes and consequences of all of Rosalyne's experiences.
Meanwhile, within One-Day Mondstadt, Tang Wang and his companions had roughly confirmed the situation.
"The terrain of Mondstadt as a whole has not changed." At Starsnatch Cliff, looking at the Cecilia that Tang Wang had left unpicked, Albedo made this conclusion.
"From a power perspective..." Columbina gathered Kuuvahki, "The power here is practically identical to the power within Tang Wang."
"Also," Ronava looked up, confirming the angle of the sun again, "The light source here is very strange."
"It's that kind of strangeness that I can't quite explain."
"Finally, everyone," Danika began, "Has any of you felt hungry or tired?"
"Absolutely not." Linaya shook her head. "And, I don't seem to... see even the slightest glimpse of the future."
"No, that description isn't accurate enough. I mean, all the images I saw were stacked together..."
"And Rosalyne doesn't seem to show any sign of returning," Columbina, looking up with some concern. "However, I'm certain she's still alive."
"That makes things a bit tricky," Albedo said, gazing at the setting sun. "The flow of time here is roughly five to twenty times faster than in reality. We'd better return to Mondstadt City first."
"What do you mean...?" At the same time, Kang Jie finished telling Rosalyne everything he had seen with his abilities. The latter was undoubtedly incredulous.
"It means," he cleared his throat, "That you're working for the very person who killed your lover!"
"No, that's not it..." Rosalyne desperately tried to shake her head in denial, "You, you must be lying to me!"
"As expected, revealing the future is meaningless; fate will surely arrive as scheduled." Rosalyne's reaction seemed to be within Kang Jie's expectations.
"So, out of pity, I'll tell you something that's a matter of life and death—"
"You will die at Inazuma, by Raiden Shogun's blade."
"Don't try to fool me!" Completely devastated, Rosalyne immediately mobilized her power. Thus, the moth transformed into flames, bursting forth from the ancient, unyielding ice within her body.
"Sigh..." In response, Kang Jie simply raised his hand slightly, and the flames on Rosalyne's body were instantly extinguished by the terrifying cold wind. With another wave of his hand, a sharp storm sent her body shooting out like a bullet, flying towards the Snezhnaya.
Rosalyne herself didn't know how long she had been stuck in the howling storm. When she regained consciousness, the first thing she saw was Odette's expressionless face.
"Indeed, everything was destined." After doing all this, Kang Jie stared blankly at the distant sky again.
"Oh, this seemingly serious little child..." Suddenly, gentle piano music drifted on the wind throughout Mondstadt, "Why are you making yourself suffer so much?"
Amidst the myriad wisps of blue breeze, Venti materialized into her own form.
"It's Anemo Archon God." Kang Jie bowed instinctively. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this."
"Through the power of time, I have foreseen that Mondstadt's future will inevitably perish in darkness. Therefore, I choose to let Mondstadt die before he dies."
"Only in this way can Mondstadt endure forever."
"I see..." Venti sighed, "I understand your good intentions."
"But what is the point of Mondstadt's existence if it has lost the possibility of development and change, existing like a snow globe?"
"... Personally, I believe that existence precedes thought and is above everything else." Kang Jie's voice was righteous and indignant. "If even existence cannot be maintained, then the act of talking about meaning is meaningless."
"So, Kang Jie, are you so sure that the future you see will definitely happen?" Venti asked with a smile.
"Clearly... the greatest turning point in the world, the Descender from beyond the world, has already arrived, hasn't it?"
"Furthermore, you already possess a portion of the status of Descender. You are actually capable of reversing the future."