Chapter 228

In front of Xia Zhi stood a colossal tree—none other than the Irminsul of Teyvat. 

Beneath it was a woman, small in stature like a child, yet her eyes brimmed with wisdom. She bore a shimmering diamond progress bar above her, a sign of her exhausted power. 

This was the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, an embodiment of the Irminsul. 

When Xia Zhi used the [Intertwined Fate], he already learned of her destiny. 

She was the incarnation of the Irminsul, the God of Wisdom, and one of the three rulers of Sumeru. Five centuries ago, [Forbidden Knowledge]—a force from the Abyss beyond this world—polluted the Irminsul. In her efforts to purify the Irminsul, Rukkhadevata herself became tainted by it. The only way to remove this corruption was for her existence to be entirely forgotten, leading to her ultimate self-sacrifice. 

In Xia Zhi's eyes, she was a figure worthy of deep respect. 

The system chimed in his mind: 

"Note: There is a time limit on this fateful journey. Complete the bonding process (have the other party voluntarily respond to your request for physical contact) as soon as possible." 

Simultaneously, the [Hourglass of Time], equipped as a special item, flipped over, its sands beginning to fall. Xia Zhi estimated he had ten minutes in this timeline. 

Time was tight, and the task was heavy. 

Bonding aside, Xia Zhi's main goal was to change the sorrowful fate of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. 

---

"You've come," she said, her gaze fixed on Xia Zhi as he appeared before her. 

"You know me?" Xia Zhi asked, surprised. 

"I know you… and yet I don't," Rukkhadevata replied. "I had a dream. In that dream, I saw your life in another world." 

"Oh?" 

"It was a fascinating world. No elements, yet its people advanced civilization to such a level. Your ending there was unfortunate, but… you were a good child." 

"…A good child?" 

"I never thought the person I dreamt of would appear before me. I can sense divine power from you. It seems you went through much after your death in that world." 

"Yes. And you don't know about it?" 

"No. The dream about you ended when you died." 

Xia Zhi scrutinized her, finding sincerity and clarity in her gaze—no trace of deceit. 

It seemed she truly knew nothing of the system. 

Perhaps the dream's abrupt end coincided with the system's appearance. 

"It's not important. I also dreamt about you. In that dream, I saw your fate—your self-sacrifice." 

"Self-sacrifice… I do intend to take that path. But you saw the future?" 

"No. I came from the future." 

"?" 

"To be precise, I'm from Teyvat, five hundred years in the future." 

"Five hundred years? What's Teyvat like then?" 

"I live in Liyue, so I'm not entirely sure about other nations. But from what travelers and merchants say, it seems all is well." 

"Then… this disaster will eventually be resolved." 

"Yes." 

"My sacrifice… will not be in vain." 

"You don't have to sacrifice yourself." 

"There's no need to comfort me." 

"[Forbidden Knowledge] may be troublesome, but there's bound to be another solution." 

"I've tried everything." 

"But you haven't tried my solution yet." 

"What solution could you possibly have?" 

Rukkhadevata shook her head. 

"Even if you had one, I wouldn't let you experiment on me lightly. As the incarnation of the Irminsul, Teyvat's most vital entity, I cannot allow an external god to act recklessly." 

"So you don't trust me?" 

"I cannot be sure you're still the 'good child' I saw in my dream." 

"You don't even trust the words I've said?" 

"I believe, and I don't believe. Whether you're from Teyvat's future or not is irrelevant to me. But talking to a friend like you is a joy." 

"I don't have much time." 

"Time?" 

"You didn't think I could stay here indefinitely, did you?" 

"So, you're leaving?" 

"Yes. Goodbye." 

Xia Zhi's figure disappeared as he finished speaking. 

Rukkhadevata scanned the area using the Irminsul but found no trace of him. 

She stared at the empty space and murmured, "Did he really leave?" 

Of course, Xia Zhi hadn't left. 

He had activated his stealth mode. With the combined enhancements of [Shadow Hand] and [Phantom Mirror], Rukkhadevata couldn't detect him at all. 

Glancing at the [Hourglass of Time], Xia Zhi saw he had about five minutes left. Time was pressing. 

He took out the [Phantom Mirror] for a predictive inquiry. 

- "Will [Advanced Divine Dispel] work on Rukkhadevata?" 

The mirror responded: No. 

- "How can the [Forbidden Knowledge] on Rukkhadevata be resolved?" 

A wall of dense text appeared on the mirror: 

1. Drink [Luck Potion], open a Platinum Chest, and gamble for the [Book of Knowledge]. 

2. Drink [Luck Potion], open a Platinum Chest, and gamble for the [Seeker Beetle]. 

3. Drink [Luck Potion], open a Platinum Chest, and gamble for the [Universal Syringe]. 

4. … 

A strategy guide?! 

Xia Zhi couldn't help but feel like he was playing a game and looking up a walkthrough. 

He carefully reviewed the guide, then spent 500 points in the [Shop] to purchase a [Luck Potion]. 

[Luck Potion] 

- Quality: Gold 

- Type: Consumable 

- Traits: Luck 

- Effect: Temporarily increases Luck by 100% for one hour. 

- Hidden Effect: None. 

It was sweet and surprisingly delicious. 

With his doubled Luck stat, Xia Zhi took out a Platinum Chest. 

He gambled, rewound, gambled again, rewound again… 

On his fifth attempt, he successfully obtained the [Universal Syringe]. 

[Universal Syringe] 

- Quality: Platinum 

- Type: Auxiliary Tool 

- Traits: Extraction, Injection 

- Effect: Can extract or inject any substance. 

- Hidden Effect: +50% to healing skill effects. 

---

Holding the seemingly ordinary syringe, Xia Zhi approached Rukkhadevata and activated [Time Stasis] on her. 

"Hold still, little one. Big brother's going to give you a shot." 

The syringe pierced her, extracting a black substance from her body. 

Once the extraction was complete, Xia Zhi dispelled the [Time Stasis] and his [Stealth Mode]. 

Rukkhadevata looked at him in shock. 

"Is the [Forbidden Knowledge] gone now?" Xia Zhi asked casually. 

Rukkhadevata instinctively examined herself, her expression turning into one of disbelief. 

"This… how is this possible?" 

"Didn't I say I could help? You didn't believe me and forced me to take matters into my own hands." 

"You…" 

"No time for questions. What will you do next?" 

"…Next?" 

"You're the God of Wisdom. If you abandon your original plan to sacrifice yourself, the future I return to will change drastically." 

Rukkhadevata's expression grew serious. 

"You're right…" 

"So, for the next 500 years, you'll have to disappear from Teyvat." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I can take you back with me, skipping these 500 years entirely. You'll reappear in the future as though you were never absent." 

"…What's your purpose?" 

"Simple. I want to help you." 

"?" 

"I run a small shop and plan to travel across Teyvat. I think you'd make a great guide. If you don't trust me, forget it." 

Rukkhadevata fell silent. 

"…What should I do?" 

"Take my hand." 

"And then?" 

"That's it." 

"...That's all?" 

"Yes. Now hurry and finish what you need to do." 

"…Alright." 

Rukkhadevata turned to the Irminsul, plucking a tender branch. The act left her visibly weakened. 

Xia Zhi bought a [Looping Player] from the [Shop], handing it to her. 

"Record yourself saying, 'Let the world completely forget me.'" 

"Huh?" 

"Don't ask. Just do it." 

"Let the world completely forget me…" 

"Good. Leave it here on repeat." 

As the last grain of sand fell in the [Hourglass of Time], Xia Zhi grabbed Rukkhadevata's hand, and the two vanished. 

Only the tender branch remained under the Irminsul, lying quietly. 

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