Chapter 33 The Unforgotten Taste

[Dear Ms. Rosalyne, hello.]

[How's the weather in Sumeru? It rained heavily in Mondstadt City last night, so the sky is very clear today, and the dandelion fields look beautiful. I've enclosed two of them for you.] 

[Sumeru has a lot of rain forests and high humidity, so you need to be careful... You have a weak constitution, so wear more layers]

[Focus on your studies there and listen to the Sages. Don't worry about things on my end, I'm doing well, I just want to hear you sing another song]

[Are you still carrying the hydro-timepiece I gave you? The time it takes to complete one cycle is equal to the time you spend studying at the Akademiya. When the hydro-timepiece finishes, I'll be able to see you again]

[Dear Ms. Rosalyne, I wish you all the best]

...

In recent days, "La Signora" often thought about the past, about that letter from long ago. 

This is not a good sign.

It will make her weak.

As the 8th of the Harbingers, the name Rosalyne had long been buried deep in Signora's memories. After five hundred years, she had forgotten what she looked like in her maiden days. Perhaps she loved to sing, perhaps she loved to read? Perhaps she was a gentle and breezy young lady? 

None of that matters.

Signora's heart had long turned cold as solid ice, burying her past self.

She slightly raised her eyes and looked out the window. 

The Fatui ship sailed steadily, its massive hull like a giant beast treading on flat ground, pushing away the surrounding waves. The weather was good today, with clear skies over the sea. The warm sunlight spread out over the gently rolling waves like a huge blanket, the light flowing with the sea breeze and waves.

There were seagulls outside the window too.

A few days ago, a rare thunderstorm erupted in Inazuma. According to rumors, the "Raiden Shogun" of Tenshukaku left Inazuma City for the first time, so something big must have happened. But that was not something Signora should be concerned about. She had her own work. 

This time, posing as a diplomat to Mondstadt, she had other objectives in mind.

Not the most noble of objectives. 

To some extent, she wouldn't consider herself to be on the side of "Justice".

Perhaps it could be called insidious or evil.

But that is also irrelevant. 

History has proven that honest and sincere people only end up dead. Only by being more evil and insidious than anyone else will she emerge victorious. 

For the sake of that honest and sincere person, Signora must continue down this evil and insidious path.

She will slaughter all the magic beasts, she will burn all the ashes to cinders. Only then will the flames that have tormented her for five hundred years be quelled.

Signora gently removed her mask, the burn scars etched by her eyes. She gazed at the horizon where the sea met the sky. The immense sun melted into the seawater, incomparably brilliant - the Fatui ship was sailing towards that setting sun.

There was not a shred of guilt in her heart, only hatred and pleasure. 

What did it matter if she snatched the Gnosis from that Anemo Archon who couldn't even protect his people!

--

"What kind of person was Seino Raimei?"

The sea light stirred up layers of limpid ripples. A wooden plank floated on the gently undulating waters. Seino Fugin sat on the plank, examining the sword he had just fished out of the water.

It was called a sword, but didn't look like one, more resembling a blade.

[Artifact: God Cutter · Raimei]

[The fate of thunder and snake subsided here. The blade no longer tells their story. Whenever the Thunder Serpent glides across the sky, it will emit a faint rumble]

The form of this weapon had changed again, with all its past washed away, leaving only this behind.

"What kind of person was Seino Raimei?" 

Seino asked. Frankly, this feeling was very strange.

He had completely forgotten, only knowing this name and a few scant details. 

[He was a man, fleeting yet brilliant]

"I can see that," Seino said. He took out a few scrolls of cigarettes from his pocket. "He also smoked. How can the life of a smoking dog not be short? Consumptive ghost."

Smoking dogs deserve to die.

[You're insulting yourself]

"I guess he liked to drink too."

[...You guessed right. How did you know?]

Seino's eyelids twitched slightly. He pulled out a stack of papers from the inner pocket of his kimono, detailing the inheritance he had left behind:

'I buried a barrel of hundred-year-old beer under the big pine tree in the courtyard of the Pillar General's mansion. Remember to retrieve it.'

[...You love both smoking and drinking]

"Yeah, I love both smoking and drinking," Seino said. "I must have been a terrible old man before, boozing and smoking. Wow, I deserve to die. If not me, who else would die young?"

[There's no need to be so hard on yourself]

"But it's strange, I've forgotten everything, including any skills or martial arts..."

Seino Fugin stared at the character panel:

[Seino Fugin]

[Level: 20 (Knight Level)]

[Talent: Fudoshin (One of the highest mental states in swordsmanship)]

[Talent: God's Heart (Before your previous death, you broke through the limits of mortals for 0.3 seconds. That possibility has been preserved)]

[Skill: Cooking (Can only make Kitsune Udon and Milk Dango)]

"What's with this cooking skill?" Seino complained. "And only knowing two dishes? Did I forget all the other cuisines?"

[I severed everything of yours. Only these two dishes you could never forget]

"Why?" Seino asked.

[...]

The previous questions were answered smoothly, but now the system was unusually hesitant.

The sea breeze stirred up ripples, and the sun rose higher and higher. In the mellow sunlight, the Human Principles System slowly said:

[That man who loved smoking, drinking and was full of bad habits didn't want to forget - you didn't want to forget]

[Time flows eternally, washing everything away. For mortals to survive, they must forget in order to resist the erosion of this eternal time. But there are some things he could never forget, some things that never change, like taste.]

[The taste in memories never changes. It's very unique]

"Like the taste of mom's cooking?" Seino joked.

[The taste of hometown specialties, the candied hawthorns eaten during New Year's as a child... many, many things. These are all tastes in memory. You humans call it the 'taste of home', the 'taste of the year'. No matter how far you go or how long it's been, just taking a bite lets you know it's home, lets you know it's the sound of firecrackers.]

[These tastes are actually yearning.]

"So what am I yearning for?" Seino asked.

[You're yearning for Kitsune Udon and Milk Dango. And Milk Dango and Kitsune Udon are yearning for you too]

"I don't really get it."