Chapter 186 Infinite Reincarnation, The House of Hearths...
"...Leosley, did you see that?"
Yes...his fingers...
Navelette and the others were initially shocked and confused by Mainkuhn's self-injury, but the child's suddenly restored fingers forcefully brought them back to their senses.
"Limb regeneration?"
If someone truly demonstrated a powerful healing ability capable of instantly repairing limbs, that would certainly be noteworthy and worthy of careful study, but that's not the point. Leosley only wants to know—
"Why hasn't Maine's hand regenerated?" He grabbed the cat-eared youth's severed arm, staring at the rock element crystals on it.
Could this ability be something unique to childhood?!
“No, thinking back carefully, his recovery ability has always been very unstable, sometimes fast and sometimes slow…” Navelette recalled the child’s battered and bruised appearance, “So why does he have no recovery ability at all now?”
He looked at Mainkuhn with a pained expression, at his pale face that had never been healthy for a single day. If he could, he would have loved to see that pale face regain its beautiful rosy hue.
“It’s definitely possible, it’s definitely possible, Vilette.”
Leosley took a deep breath, gently placed the severed arm back beside Maine, and stared intently at the image.
"As long as we can find the factors causing this anomaly in the memories of the ley lines..."
"Then Mainkuhn will surely be able to recover to his original, complete and healthy state."
He said with certainty, his heart pounding with lingering fear, both painful and exhilarating.
Whether it was his imagination or not, as he spoke these words, he saw the young god who was in charge of the earth's vein images wearing a satisfied yet unfathomable smile.
Little Mayne sobbed in her memory.
"No...this isn't right..."
The healing wounds did not seem to bring him comfort; the panic in his heart drove him to repeatedly poison himself.
From dangerous nails and teeth to just furry ears, the more he cut and pulled, the faster they healed, far exceeding the healing speed of ordinary wounds... When she snatched the scissors from Mainkuhn's hand again, Peruvieri couldn't take it anymore and pushed him to the ground.
Wake up!
She roared, her emotions undergoing a rare and intense fluctuation.
"Whether you're human or demon, no one will hate you, Maine! And you won't hurt anyone!"
"No...no..."
Xiao Mei didn't fight back after being pushed. Instead, she tucked her tail between her legs and trembled as she crawled off the bed, not letting Pei Pei touch her again.
"Something's definitely wrong! I...I don't know..."
Panic ensued, though she didn't know what she was panicking about. Sadness overwhelmed her, though she didn't know what she was sad about. Little Mayin Kuhn could only tremble as she put her nails in her mouth, watching in despair as the weapon slowly grew back.
"I've been cursed by a monster!!"
"That's absolutely not true! Mainkuhn!"
Peruvée tucked her legs under the bed, trying to kick him out.
"...Please, just go back to being your old, stupid self..."
The earth's veins recorded her low, helpless murmurs.
"well."
Arecino sighed and offered her criticism.
"This is a completely wrong approach. At this point, you should close the door and let him have some peace and quiet."
“Father…you didn’t really know what he went through back then…” Fimini covered his eyes, unable to look, but still managed to express his disapproval.
“Father, you were just a child back then. It’s normal to be a little panicked when you see your friend’s personality suddenly change.” Linni’s face was no longer that of a magician’s smile; his expressionless face looked rather fierce.
"It's all Kujavina's fault, and the Doctor's."
"..."
It felt strange to be protected by the children when she was a child, and for a moment, Arecino didn't know how to react.
"My actions at the time did indeed plunge Maine into deeper panic, that's a fact."
"Oh, Peipei, have you forgotten?"
Clementine reached out and covered her mouth, which was full of unpleasant words.
"Mainkuhn wasn't just your good friend back then."
"It's not a curse from a monster."
In my memory, the pink-haired girl jumped to the side, stopping Peruvieri from forcibly kicking Maine out.
"Mainkuhn is perfectly fine!"
"..."
The sobbing from under the bed paused, as if waiting quietly for her to continue.
"It's...it's a blessing from the gods!"
There was no way to explain it. Clementine was sweating profusely and rambling on, trying her best to calm Maine down.
"The gods heard my wish for you to be restored and sent down a miracle. So Mainkuhn, don't be afraid. Since the gods were able to repair your nails on their own initiative, they must have determined that you are a good child who will not hurt others!"
That's so fake.
Pepe looked at Clementine expressionlessly.
"I'd better bring him out first; it's impossible to communicate like this." She picked up the mop.
"Hey, hey, don't be so rough..."
Clementine rushed to stop her, and as she did so, she heard a soft voice asking from under the bed.
"...Which god?"
"Huh? Huh?"
She actually believed it! Clementine, who hadn't even gotten to that part of the story, started spouting nonsense, "Of course it's the goddess of justice, Frinina! After all, this is Fontaine!"
"justice……"
Xiaomei silently repeated the word to herself, then suddenly bristled under the bed, yelling, "How annoying!!"
"Huh??"
Furness exclaimed in surprise, looking at Little Maine and then at Big Maine.
"...This really happened?!"
Cat God didn't show it at all!
“Calm down, my lady,” Clorinde reassured her terrified god. “It’s probably what Buck said to him at the end that left him with a bad impression of justice in his subconscious.”
"...Is that so? But it's normal that he hates me."
Although she was comforted, Funina did not feel relieved; her sense of responsibility weighed heavily on her mind.
"After all, as the god of Fontaine, I have no idea that the House of Hearths exists..."
She was so dedicated that she forgot she was human.
In my memory, the children's discussions about gods continued.
"Ugh?? Well, maybe it wasn't the God of Justice who did it, maybe it was...maybe..."
Clementine was momentarily speechless, and the children quickly chimed in to fill in the gaps.
"It must be the god of wisdom! Sumeru is a neighboring country here! Little Auspicious Grass King..."
"Hate."
"...Huh??"
Her people gasped in amazement at her memories, while Nasita gave a helpless smile.
"It must be the Winter Queen! Her benevolence..."
The cat wagged its tail under the bed, as if to say, "Ugh."
"Where's General Raiden? Lord Grandmaster is incredibly strong!"
"Hate!"
Yae no Miko glanced at Lei Yingdian, who was slightly stunned, and said, "That's not unfair."
"And what about Barbatos? And Liberty?"
Xiaomei hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "I hate it."
"Huh?" Wendy was stunned for a moment. "Wait a minute, that's not what he said..."
"Boss Maine!" the children exclaimed in shock. "If you hate the gods, you won't get their protection!"
"I don't care... I'm going to hate them..."
A muffled whimper came from under the bed.
"Why? They are all very good gods, Boss Maine, let me explain..."
Children from various countries tried to persuade him, but Mainkuhn wouldn't listen to a word of its many advantages; he just screamed with his ears pressed down.
"But they let their people stay here, in the House of Hearths! That's why I hate them!"
...
His reasons for hating the gods were so naive and sincere.
Although they were filled with resentment, people from all countries could not utter a word of criticism.
After a moment of silence, Diluc turned his head toward the bard.
“You have handed Mondstadt over to humanity, so in principle, that is the responsibility of the previous Grand Master.”
“Yes, yes,” Kaiya chimed in. “Don’t worry, we all know God isn’t omnipotent.”
"...Hey, don't worry, the wind won't change direction easily."
Wendy was about to hum a couple more lines of poetry to show that she was in good spirits when she heard the video continue.
"I understand!"
Clementine peered under the bed at the shivering cat. "You must be blessed by the Rock God!"
"The Geo Archon? From Liyue?"
"Well, we don't have any of his people here, so you don't dislike him, you actually like him, right?"
"...No?"
“Yes, Nata’s children die very quickly once they go abroad, but only Liyue’s children are truly well protected.” Krevy peeked under the bed, smiling as she looked at her companion’s vertical pupils filled with panic.
"So you like him, little Mayne?"
"If it's true... of course I like it."
"That's great, we've found the reason!"
Clementine quickly pressed down on Mainkuen's bloodstained little hand, feeling it stiffen under her palm, afraid to struggle.
"Danger... Danger..."
"It's not dangerous."
Clementine gently pinched the cat's trembling little paws, rubbed them against her cheek, and then gave it a look of tenderness.
“Look, Morax sensed your affection for him and used his divine power to heal your hand.”
"So, there is no curse from a monster at all. You are just an ordinary child blessed by the gods."
"……No?"
Clementine could feel her companion's trembling slowing down at an extremely rapid pace.
"right."
So she didn't hesitate to tell the lie.
"Morax is a protective god; he won't save bad guys who can harm others."
"Is that so..."
A long silence followed from under the bed; Little Mayin-Kuhn seemed to be caught in an endless struggle.
Whether to believe or not may seem like a simple decision, but it will actually determine his future lifestyle.
"Put my hand down."
After a long while, Xiaomei finally made her request in a low voice.
"I won't bite or cut myself if I come out on my own..."
“Okay.” Clementine released her hand.
She stepped back and stood beside Peruvier, waiting for a while.
Black, pointed claws emerged from the shadows into the light.
A frightened cub scrambled to his feet, stood on his feet, and looked hesitantly at his friends, appearing somewhat shy.
"sorry…"
"I've done something that has worried you..."
Peruvée snorted and brushed the dust off his head.
"Don't touch the scissors again."
"Wow!"
The children's reaction was much more straightforward; they cheered and rushed towards their little leader, "Are you alright? You scared me to death! Does it hurt?"
"I'm going to give you double the homework! Copy the word 'explosion' a hundred more times! ...Wait, what do you mean you forgot how to write it? What about the lizard?"
Everything seemed to have returned to normal. Although he still sometimes avoided close contact with his companions, Mainkun seemed to have forgotten all the pain, just as Kujavina and Dotore had hoped.
Seeing that he had stopped abusing himself, Xiao's brows relaxed considerably.
"As expected of His Majesty the Emperor."
"Xiao."
Zhongli shook his head helplessly. "What does this have to do with me? Xiaomei just needs some comfort that can help him stand up again, and I just happened to be that excuse."
"That Emperor is also very powerful."
The Great Sage who Subdues Demons praised him firmly and sincerely.
"Without your past dedication to Liyue, how could foreign children have placed their trust in you? It is only natural and inevitable that Your Majesty would become Mainkun's favorite god."
"Oh, you're still the same as ever."
On the Liyue side, the ruler and his subjects were in harmony, while on the Mondstadt side, the Anemo Archon stared wide-eyed in bewilderment.
"That's not right..."
Wendy desperately tried to recall the day she drank with Mainkuen, "Shouldn't I be his favorite?"
“The duties of the gods are not swayed by human likes or dislikes, Barbatos…” Lei Movie suddenly blurted out, “It’s just an evaluation, don’t be discouraged.”
Her eyes were full of encouragement, and Barbatos quickly clarified.
"No, he really said it! ...It couldn't have been drunken talk, could it?"
But no matter what, it's always good that the child is more normal.
"Furina, don't worry about it. Cat God's attitude towards you is very friendly. There's no resentment or malice in his words. Perhaps he has already forgotten what he said..."
Navilette tried to comfort her friend, and only nodded to Narcida after she seemed to have cheered up.
"Please continue playing, Ms. Nasita."
Upon hearing this, Naxida hesitated for a moment and twisted her fingers.
“I generally don’t play repetitive information unless it’s necessary and can’t be skipped.”
“We all know that, madam.” Navelette didn’t understand why she was saying it again.
"..."
Nasita silently unleashed her divine power.
The image freezes, and they see a familiar scene.
In the secluded laboratory, the blue-haired boy stared in astonishment at the child covered in wounds before him.
"I'm looking for someone, where is Archie?"
Xiaomei, having kicked away the group of fools lying in front of her, gave the young doctor a bewildered look.
"I feel like I've seen you before."
...
"I've seen you before."
...
"Aaaaaaahh ...
He forgot about Archie.
Nasita accelerated time again.
"I'm looking for someone. Where is Rumi?"
He forgot Rumi.
"I'm looking for someone. Where is Kalisi?"
He forgot about Kalisi.
...
Like history repeating itself, Mainkuhn has repeatedly found himself on the same old path.
Struggle, fail, search for the remnants, see the doctor, go mad, kill the fools.
Killing a friend, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.
Amnesia.
"I'm actually quite curious."
When the young doctor pressed him onto the device for the sixth time, there was no longer any impatience in his eyes, only a strong thirst for knowledge.
"How many more times can you keep going? Hmm? Are you a robot with logical fallacies? Hmm? Saving lives is the fundamental premise of your life?"
"Aaaaaaah!!"
He gained nothing but venomous screams, but those hateful, beastly eyes had already answered all the devil's questions for him.
We will not rest until we die.
...
The seventh time, Mainkuhn did not emerge from under the bed.
The eighth time, Mainkuhn slashed his neck with a knife.
The ninth time, the children still couldn't find where their eldest brother was hiding.
The tenth time the doctor saw him, he noticed that he had grown much taller.
“You’ve grown up so beautifully, twisted and unwillingly.”
"Aaaaaaah!"
His only response was roars and howls, along with increasingly sharp claws.
After this failure, he woke up in agony, completely unaware of what had happened, and banged his head on the floor.
"Gods..."
"Please grant me my freedom..."
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