"This is the first time I've seen such an innocent smile."
Yilan felt a ripple rise from the depths of his heart—but it wasn't his own.
After all, with his own life experiences, he had never lacked recognition from others.
But for himself within the simulation, it was the first time he had heard such words.
Still, in this life simulation, Yilan wasn't planning to get involved with others. He only wanted to hone his swordsmanship and grow stronger.
So he ignored the girl, his expression indifferent, and resumed his sword practice.
Furthermore, while swinging his sword, he deliberately increased the sense of pressure exuded by each motion, making his strikes appear fiercer and more intimidating, hoping to scare the girl away.
But—
"Wow, your sword dance is even more powerful now. Are you really a master?"
Yilan: "…"
"Your technique is amazing. Does it have a name?"
"… …"
"Don't you get bored, practicing swordsmanship all the time like this?"
Yilan finally stopped and snapped at her, "You look like a noble lady, don't you? Why are you out so late? Aren't you afraid of being kidnapped by bandits?"
"Ah, are you worried about me?"
"I mean, I could be that kind of outlaw too."
"Don't try to scare me. You're still wearing the uniform of the Knights of Favonius. You're an apprentice knight, right?"
"… …"
Seeing Yilan remain silent, the girl continued with a smile: "I thought I was the only one who knew about this place, so I was surprised to find someone else here. It's a nice spot. It's a bit of a walk, but I can be alone here."
"You're interfering with other people's solitude."
"That's mutual, so I won't press the issue. Anyway—take a look at this."
The girl ignored Yilan's retort and pointed to something behind the windmill where she sat. There seemed to be something behind it, but Yilan couldn't see it from where he stood. When she saw him frown, she smiled and waved him over like a curious animal.
"I don't particularly want to look…"
"It's fine. Come on."
Her constant pestering made Yilan's face twitch slightly—but he couldn't exactly draw his sword and kill her. He could have turned away and left, but that would feel like admitting defeat, which made him reluctant to do so.
Reluctantly, Yilan followed her directions and stepped onto the ruins, climbing to her side. He looked in the direction she pointed.
Under the silver moonlight lay a field of dandelions. The moonlight reflected off the delicate white fluff, and the flowers swayed gently in the wind. The view was like something from a dream.
"Few people ever come here," the girl said. "But the wind carries dandelion seeds to this place. Over time, they've grown into a field like this…"
"What do you think? Isn't it beautiful? Don't you think it's romantic?"
She smiled gently as she spoke.
In response, Yilan walked into the dandelion field with a blank expression—and began to swing his sword.
The sharp wind from his blade cut through the stems, and countless dandelion tufts were sent flying into the air with every slash.
—If I destroy this "dandelion nursery," she'll probably get angry and storm off, right?
That's what Yilan thought.
However, contrary to expectations, the girl didn't shout or try to stop him. Instead, her violet eyes glowed as if witnessing something beautiful. Enchanted, she began to hum softly.
"Stand on the highest wall and meditate with your eyes closed…"
"Listen to the south wind echoing in your ears…"
"… …"
The dandelions fluttered gently as her voice rang out—light and pure, like the wind itself. It was an a cappella melody with no accompaniment. Under the silver moonlight, her song seemed to take on a physical form—like glowing shards of broken glass, shimmering in the dark.
As she sang, something stirred in Yilan's heart—a rhythm, a breath of inspiration. His sword changed trajectory, gliding through the field. The blade passed through the dandelion clusters without scattering them; instead, they continued their upward drift, undisturbed.
Then, at the song's climax, the girl's voice fell silent—and Yilan sheathed his sword like moonlight folding into shadow.
In that moment, a sudden burst of energy erupted. The dandelions exploded across the sky, scattering like snowflakes under the moon. Some rose into the air with the breeze, others drifted down, landing on Yilan's shoulders—and hers.
"You sing beautifully."
"Your sword dance is really beautiful."
The two spoke almost in unison.
"I was just humming for fun," the girl said shyly, brushing her hair behind her ear. "But you—what's that technique called?"
"…Let's call it Sword of Cutting Wind," Yilan replied after a moment of thought.
[From that day on, every evening after completing your daytime duties, you would return to the ruined square to practice your swordplay. And as if by ritual, the girl would always be there, seated on the broken windmill, quietly watching.]
[Sometimes she would sing, sometimes she would read. You rarely spoke to her, yet from her absent-minded mumbling, you came to learn a lot.]
[Her name was Rosalyne Kruschika Erofat. She was indeed of noble birth—the only daughter of a high-ranking noble house.]
[Because she was an only child, her family placed enormous expectations upon her. To cope, she often came to this place alone to sing and relieve stress.]
"…Is she really the lady?"
Though Yilan had guessed it from her elegant singing while in somatosensory mode, seeing the confirmation in the simulator made him sigh inwardly.
Time truly is a butcher's blade. The difference in the Lady's appearance between then and now was immense.
One was a refined, educated, beautiful young girl.
The other, an arrogant and domineering noblewoman.
Of course, the most important thing was—
I'm sorry, Rostam.
***
[End of this simulation]
[It is detected that the losses suffered by Mondstadt in this Dark Beast Tide are far lower than in original history. Congratulations to the host for receiving an A-level evaluation.]
[Ding! The host has slain the magical dragon Durin. Evaluation upgraded to S-level.]
[Congratulations to the host for reaching the ending: The Ultimate Sword.]
[The Ultimate Sword: Some believe that the Sword Ghost—who has nothing but the blade—is the truest expression of swordsmanship. Others say that only the Sword Saint—who channels supreme emotion through the sword—can reach its pinnacle. But you, having walked both paths, have undoubtedly reached the ultimate in swordsmanship.]
[Do you wish to end this instance simulation with the current ending?]
"Yes," Yilan exhaled and replied.
At the conclusion of the simulation, he had been swallowed by the dragon Durin. Although he ultimately slew Durin using his newly awakened Pyro Vision and a flame sword he comprehended in that moment, he was also infected by the dragon's venom—and died in the arms of Rosalind, who had rushed to his side.
Still, this ending was a good one. At the very least, after hearing his final words, Rosalind would no longer hold such deep resentment toward Mondstadt.
After his death, he was posthumously granted the title of Sword Saint. From a feared Sword Ghost, he became Mondstadt's Sword Saint—a symbol of martial perfection.
[Simulation complete. Instance closed. Rewards distributing.]
[Congratulations! Reward obtained: Power of Pyro.]
[Power of Pyro: The flame of the Crimson Witch will burn anew within you.]
[Congratulations! Reward obtained: Time Converter.]
[Time Converter: A mystical artifact from beyond this world. Allows the user to return to the past.]
"It's actually a Time-Turner."
Looking at the peculiar necklace with an hourglass in its center, Yilan showed a look of astonishment.
This prop originated from the Harry Potter series, and its effect was just as described—every turn of the hourglass allowed him to travel several hours back in time. Other than the limitation of avoiding contact with one's past self, it had virtually no side effects.
This was easily the artifact Yilan wanted most.
In the original story, the Time-Turner was used by Hermione. While clever, Hermione was still mortal and limited by her stamina, so she couldn't maximize the artifact's potential.
But with Yilan's current physical state, he could go without sleep for a week. With this tool, one day could become four.
He even devised a clever exploit—
Now that he had both the Time Converter and teleport anchors, he could spend a day in Mondstadt, then rewind time 24 hours and teleport to Liyue.
After spending a day there, he could repeat the same process to visit Sumeru, and even Inazuma.
This way, though only one Yilan truly existed, he could be active in Mondstadt, Liyue, Sumeru, and Inazuma in the same calendar day.
Of course, this meant paying taxes and public dues in four different regions… and he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Still, the utility of the artifact was unquestionable.
At the very least, he could now visit Inazuma, something he had kept postponing due to pressing matters elsewhere.
After settling Mondstadt's affairs, Yilan found a secluded place where no one would pass by and used the Time Converter to shift back 24 hours.
"Hm?" Rukkadevata, who resided in Yilan's consciousness space, sensed something strange and asked curiously, "Yilan, did we just travel through time?"
"Yeah," Yilan nodded, smiling as he held up the Time Converter. "It's a little artifact I just got. It can take us back to any point in the past."
In Harry Potter, Hermione used the Time-Turner to bring Harry and others back in time. So naturally, Yilan could bring Rukkhadevata along too.
"Amazing," Rukkhadevata murmured in awe. "This item alone could rival the power of a god who governs time."
Despite her curiosity, she didn't ask where Yilan got the artifact. She was smart enough to know what questions were best left unasked.
Besides, she believed that as long as she stayed with Yilan, she'd continue discovering new knowledge. With him, every tomorrow would be something to look forward to.
After confirming no one was watching, Yilan teleported to Guyun Stone Forest via an anchor point.
Traveling from Liyue to Inazuma was a long and perilous journey. Even by boat, it would take more than a day—and boats weren't always available. That was one reason Yilan hadn't visited Inazuma yet.
But now, with his stats having reached 35 in all attributes and power comparable to a mid-tier god, he had already learned to fly. Flying directly would be far quicker.
It took him half a day to reach the outlying island.
Before landing, he hesitated briefly but ultimately chose not to wear a mask. With his current appearance, if he wore a mask, he would too closely resemble the Demon King Yilan—the one who "brought disaster to Inazuma."
Without it, even if someone thought he looked like the deceased head of the Kamisato Clan, he could just dismiss it as a coincidence.
He passed through a busy harbor.
Since Ei had lifted the thundercloud storm and the corrupt Kanjo Commissioner who colluded with the Fatui had been eliminated by Yilan in a past simulation, the outlying island was now thriving. Merchants from across Teyvat were everywhere.
He passed by bustling Konda Village.
In the original plot, the village was impoverished, its youth driven to rebellion by oppressive taxation. But now, it was alive with the energy of spring. Young people worked the fields while elders basked in the sun.
Seeds and fertilizers developed by Yilan had spread across Inazuma. The people no longer feared famine, and the harvests were bountiful.
Finally, he arrived at Inazuma City.
This time, unlike his awkward encounter with Ganyu in Liyue, he didn't hesitate. He went straight to the Kamisato Estate.
"I wonder how Ayaka will react when she sees me."
"And how am I supposed to explain all this to her?"
"It's the same with Kokomi… I didn't expect the simulation to become reality, and I slept with her for a fleeting pleasure… How am I supposed to face her now?"
"…And how is Makoto doing?"
Lost in these questions, Yilan reached the Kamisato gates. He raised the knocker.
But just as he touched it, a strange force surged through the door—a force far above ordinary god-level.
Caught off guard, Yilan's mind went blank from the shock.
In the final moment before he lost consciousness, he saw Kamisato Ayaka—her hands wrapped in chains, a strange smile on her face.
***
The author skipped this simulation bc his readers wanted to read the Inazuma arc…
He also expressed his regrets about starting so many simulations in a short period of time.