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Xingsu still held the Damselette's gradually cooling hand, clearly sensing that her life's memories were like dust in the wind, constantly dissipating and slowly merging into the vast Ley Line of Fontaine. An indescribable bitterness and melancholy surged in his heart.

A vibrant life was cut short, and a burning passion could only remain in the memories of the living.

memory...

If there were a way to collect and store memories, to preserve a person's last thoughts and obsessions...

Xingsu stared blankly at the Damselette's quiet face, his thoughts racing.

An idea quietly took root in his mind.

Xingsu slowly stepped out of the gate, the lights of the mansion fading into the distance behind her.

He looked up at the starry sky high in the heavens, where countless stars were quietly spread out on the canvas of the sky.

Xingsu took a breath of fresh air, and the oppressive atmosphere eased a little.

"Lin, are you there?"

"Oh, ten chapters have passed, and you've finally decided to reach out to me?"

"... You didn't reach out to me either."

"Sigh, what's the point of talking to you? Every night you're either researching your crappy thing or doing things like taking care of the kids. Tonight is a bit interesting though, I can punish evil and kill a beast."

I said, "You've finally won over your sweetheart from your past life, and the most intimate thing you do is hug and kiss, and that's during the day! Can't you be a little bolder at night and just..."

"Stop! Can you please stop having those filthy thoughts in your head!"

"Tch, boring. So, what do you want?"

"Lin, since you want to collect memories, you must have a way to store them for a long time, right?"

"Hmm... naturally, we have the means. From the Great Mnemokeep, which can contain the memories of the entire universe, to various Light Cone, they are all containers that hold fragments of memory."

"Are there any methods I can use?"

"That necklace can indeed store memories, but it's essentially just a transmitter with extremely limited storage capabilities. As for the stable carrier medium needed to create the Light Cone... well, I didn't sense anything. Why don't you think carefully about what's related to memories here?"

Something related to memories... After death, memories flow to the Ley Line Ley Line, which are connected to the Irminsul. Irminsul Irminsul Tree can store memories, but it's located in Sumeru, and we can't go back now. Besides, we can't just cut down the Irminsul then, can we?

So what tools or components are used in this process?

After much thought, Xingsu actually came up with something that could cause anomalies during the entire memory transfer process— the Ley Line Blossom.

Xingsu had seen this kind of thing more than once. In the books he read in the Sumeru House of Daena, it was explained as a crystallization of the concept of Ley Line. After activating it, some would explode with Mora, while others would resonate with someone's battle spirit, that is, the memory of battle.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Ley Line Blossom can also be used to store memories.

A bold idea took shape in my mind.

"Thank you, I understand, Lin."

With that, Xingsu took off running towards the outside of Court of Fontaine.

Lin:???

No, you'll understand once you've done something.

The study in the Hotel Bouffes d'ete was always lit. The image of the Damselette passing away in the hospital room still lingered in her mind. Arlecchino would occasionally look out the window, but the night was deep, and she still couldn't see Xingsu returning.

She raised her hand and gently activated the portable communicator she had left for him.

The communication signal was established, and a moment later, Xingsu's slightly busy voice came through.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you asleep yet? Why did you suddenly come to see me?"

"What's wrong? You even know to come at this hour. You went out for a walk to clear your head and were nowhere to be seen all night. Things at the mansion have been settled, and I've been waiting for you at home for a long time."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communicator, followed by Xingsu's voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Um... I can't go back yet. I'm trying out something really powerful. I'll come back and tell you the details when I have some progress. Don't worry about my safety!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the communication was quietly cut off.

Arlecchino:(‡▼д▼)

As the morning sun shines through the scattered, pointed-roof buildings of Court of Fontaine, it casts a hazy silhouette of the distant fountains and architecture.

Arlecchino reached out and pulled open the heavy doors of the Hotel Bouffes d'ete.

The soft morning light fell on Xingsu's shoulders, sweeping away the heaviness that had lingered between his brows the night before, replaced by a smile like that of Chlothar, who had discovered she had grown to 1.7 meters tall (including her crown).

He raised his arms high, holding a large thunderflower, and proudly showed it off to Arlecchino.

Arlecchino gazed at the thunderous flower and the elated Xingsu, then remained silent for a moment. "..."

The next second, she reached out her finger and gently flicked Xingsu's forehead.

"Ouch, it hurts!"

Xingsu guard, Xing Su quickly raised her hand to cover her forehead, shrinking back in grievance.

Arlecchino's eyes held a hint of helplessness.

"You stayed out all night just to bring back such a big flower?"

Xingsu quickly straightened up and earnestly explained, "This flower is very important... Of course, it's not as important as you!"

Upon hearing this, Arlecchino's scarlet eyes flashed with a faint smile, and she didn't continue teasing him.

"Alright, stop joking. I can see this is indispensable to your research. You go ahead and get busy; I'll handle the funeral arrangements for the child at the mansion."

Xingsu was taken aback by what he heard, and a warm feeling slowly spread from the bottom of his heart.

Thank you.

Why are you thanking me?

As soon as she finished speaking, Arlecchino leaned forward slightly, her soft lips gently landing on Xingsu's cheek.

The warm touch was fleeting.

Xingsu froze instantly, her ear tips flushed crimson, and her cheeks burned.

He clutched the Ley Line Blossom in his arms, bewildered, and hurriedly ran back to his room.

Arlecchino stood in front of the mansion, watching his hasty retreating figure, a faint smile playing on her lips.

The morning breeze in Fontaine dispersed the last wisp of mist, and the sky was clear, yet carried a touch of quiet coolness.

In a secluded cemetery far from the Hotel Bouffes d'ete, a brand-new low earthen grave stands quietly, without an ornate tombstone, without elaborate decorations, and not even a name on the tombstone.

On the neatly trimmed grass in front of the grave lay a morning newspaper, still smelling of ink. The bold, dark headline was glaring and striking. "[Mr. Daerdufu was assassinated early this morning; scandals surrounding his life exposed; he profited immensely from charitable acts; the whereabouts of his vast fortune are unknown.]"

With a few soft clinking sounds, several glittering gold rings were scattered onto the newspaper that exposed the scandal.

Arlecchino stood alone before the grave, her clothes fluttering in the wind. She looked down at the newspaper, her crimson eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Those who claim to be righteous often commit unjust acts. But we are different... Rest in peace, Snezhevna..."

My child.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

A few drops of cold rain suddenly fell, slowly sliding down Arlecchino's cheeks.

Dark clouds silently swallowed the once bright sky over Court of Fontaine, and fine rain followed, pattering over the entire cemetery.

Rain continued to fall from the sky, indistinguishable whether it was the sigh of heaven and earth or a belated mourning.

Arlecchino closed her eyes slightly, letting the cool raindrops fall on her face.

When the rain stops, the world returns to its noisy state.