On a floating ice floe in the Dark Sea, a giant dragon, several thousand meters long, lay flat and dying. At this moment, he was but a step away from death.
His shattered scales and the massive gash in the middle, almost splitting him in two, spoke of the brutal ordeal he had just endured.
Even his flying feathers, which once danced with the flames, were now dull and lifeless, looking like red weeds growing on the giant dragon's body.
"Hey! Don't die, brother!" A flickering figure on the dragon's head was saying something to the giant dragon.
But from the giant dragon's hazy eyes, it was clear he could no longer hear anything.
Yu Jin looked at the giant dragon, knowing that after so many years of Abyss corrosion, coupled with the severe injuries he had just sustained, he was likely on the verge of death.
So he lowered his head, drinking from a blue flask while shaking a holy bell. Soon, a tear dropped from the slit in Yu Jin's helmet's eye.
Tear of Farewell — a miracle taught by Archbishop Kalim's Apostle, Moan. When HP reaches 0, it grants a one-time escape from death.
This miracle was born to grant the dying enough time to say their goodbyes. Tears are shed for the living, who need them far more than the dead.
As the Tear of Farewell fell, the giant dragon's aura was instantly stabilized. If before, the giant dragon's aura had been hurtling towards the low point of death, now it had completely braked.
"Here, feed these to him." Yu Jin tossed some bottles and jars to the Black Knives who had just emerged, then went to lie down himself.
He had pushed his power to the point of overload just now, so he needed to rest.
Then Yu Jin watched as the Black Knives fed the giant dragon things like Goddess's Blessings and Red Tearstone flask of holy water, which could replenish his vitality.
From time to time, someone would also place Warmth Stones around the giant dragon. The life-force-rich Warmth emanating from the Warmth Stones even reached Yu Jin.
Under the effects of these items, the giant dragon's aura began to revive, his scales started to repair, and the huge gash on his body began to gather elemental energy, forming his new body.
The giant dragon was an elemental creature; his body might appear to be flesh and blood, but it was actually forged from dense elemental energy.
"Alright, stop force-feeding him!" The first thing the giant dragon did after regaining consciousness was to spit out the life-force he had been given. Not only that, he also shook his body slightly, sweeping away the Warmth Stones beside him.
Seeing this, Yu Jin immediately stood up from the ground and picked up the Warmth Stones on the ground and those about to fall into the water.
These items were one less each time they were used; they couldn't be wasted like this.
Then he ran to the giant dragon's head and kicked him squarely on the nose, "You don't appreciate kindness, do you? All these good things, and you're just wasting them!"
"Hmph!" The giant dragon exhaled, then swayed unsteadily to his feet, his massive silhouette casting a shadow over Yu Jin.
"What is your name, honored one? You are so powerful, why have I never seen you before?" The giant dragon looked at Yu Jin, a little puzzled.
"Yu Jin, and you?" Yu Jin also looked at the mountain-sized giant dragon before him, equally puzzled.
This giant dragon's strength was no less than that of the Seven Archons he had seen, so why did he end up in the Dark Sea? Could it be that the Archons he hadn't seen were that powerful?
"Kutri." Kutri was silent for a moment, then gave his name to Yu Jin.
Then he gave a self-deprecating laugh, "It seems that the fellow from beyond that world rules well. When we walked upon the earth, we couldn't cultivate such powerful lifeforms as you."
After speaking, Kutri sighed again. The era of the dragon race was, after all, over. He looked into the distance, towards the inland of Teyvat, which was once their land, but now had fallen into other hands.
"???" Yu Jin scratched his head after hearing Kutri's words, looking completely clueless.
"What are you talking about? Why don't I understand any of it?" Yu Jin asked, as he truly didn't understand what Kutri was saying.
To his surprise, Kutri looked enlightened. He said with a hint of disdain, "Is that so? The victors always rewrite history, and he is no different."
"Stop, stop, stop! If you keep being a riddler, I'll beat you into a Rascal Snake!" Yu Jin immediately interrupted Kutri's pretentious demeanor.
He hated riddlers more than anything; he would beat every riddler he met.
"Uh..." Kutri looked at Yu Jin, who was making a fist, and promptly gave in. He slumped to the ground in a dejected manner, saying in a listless tone:
"Actually, it's just that the current humans are not the native species of Teyvat; we elemental creatures are."
Kutri casually revealed one of the world's deepest secrets.
Yu Jin stood beside Kutri, thinking how he was just like Osial, such a massive body moving without consulting anyone.
Kutri, seeing Yu Jin's intrigued expression, continued, "In ancient times, Teyvat was ruled by the Seven Dragon Sovereigns. Then your ancestor, Phanes, descended from beyond the world and defeated all seven of us."
"The seven of us fought him for forty years; some died, some fled, and some surrendered. After that, he created you humans, and that was it. Nothing more."
"Nothing more?"
"Nothing more. I fled, and I don't know what happened after that."
Yu Jin looked at Kutri, thinking that he truly had a Talent for brevity. Such a grand event, and he finished explaining it in just a few sentences.
"A correction: that Phanes you mentioned is not my ancestor." Yu Jin felt it was his duty to correct the error in Kutri's words.
"Oh? You're not human?" Kutri narrowed his eyes. He used his remaining limited power to sense this sea area.
He found that there were indeed many new creatures that were neither human nor elemental life, and their strength was quite considerable. It seemed many things had happened after he fled Teyvat.
But what did it have to do with him? Kutri's eyes became listless again. He heard that his own Dragon Sovereign had fought Phanes a second time and lost again.
The dragon race's destiny was truly at its end.
"Who are you calling not human?" Yu Jin's focus was always different from others'.
"Look!" Yu Jin lifted his gauntlet.
"Ah—, my eyes!" Kutri covered his eyes, feeling he had seen something he shouldn't have.
"See, it's all human." Yu Jin brought his hand even closer.
"Get away! So ugly!" Kutri felt like he was going crazy again; even when forbidden knowledge corroded him, it wasn't this unbearable.
"Alright." Yu Jin sighed and covered his gauntlet again. Such small words, yet they caused so much DMG.
However, Yu Jin quickly forgave him, because Kutri clearly looked like he hadn't attended school. A bit blunt in speech, forgivable.
"Then why didn't you let me save you?" Yu Jin looked at Kutri, who was still severely injured. Compared to his experiences, Yu Jin thought he should be the type of person who would go to any lengths for revenge.
Kutri was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "You're asking why I didn't go to the Teyvat inland for revenge after recovering my strength, aren't you?"
Yu Jin nodded.
Then Kutri scratched his head and said, "Actually, it's very complicated. First, there's the time. What I said about the heroic battle, that's all ancient history from almost ten thousand years ago."
"Moreover, our people and your human values are different. When our people die, it's called going home. Yours isn't, right?"
Kutri was somewhat unsure. After being brutally beaten by Phanes and his four shadows, he fled here and never returned. He wasn't clear about human concepts.
"No." Yu Jin shook his head, a novel concept.
"Right. And I can sense that new Seven Dragon Sovereigns are being born." Kutri said with a smile, feeling his authority fading:
"The current world still has a place for them, and their king is also descending into the world. I, an old-era remnant who fled, should just rest."
"Fought Phanes for forty years, then fought forbidden knowledge for several thousand years. I'm a bit tired! It's time to rest."
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