Genshin Impact: The Road to Reversal

Chapter 567 The Devil's Handicraft

Talduffer's smile grew even more obsequious, and he nodded repeatedly.

"You flatter me, you flatter me. We're all in it for the money. It's just a pity those two 'special' girls are gone; otherwise, we could have sold them for an even higher price."

His tone was filled with undisguised regret, as if he were talking about losing two precious items.

As soon as she finished speaking, Clementine suddenly staggered. Although she already knew the truth from Rocco, when she actually saw the details of the scene, the memory in her heart still turned into shackles that tightly gripped her heart.

A person who was once respected and loved has suddenly become a monster in human form.

Those vague, deliberately beautified memories are now being shattered by the cruel truth.

Zhao Heng and Zi Xuan also held their breath, their eyes filled with shock and disgust.

Just then, the door in the illusion was suddenly pushed open. A figure appeared in the doorway, with long silver-gray hair and cold, icy, slanted, cross-shaped pupils.

It was Peruvé!

“Pepe?” Claire asked in surprise.

She gripped her longsword, radiating a chilling killing intent. Her voice was like a cold abyss descending.

"It's you? No... your figure..."

The next scene unfolded with lightning speed. A flash of crimson light, and the two men in black, before they could even react, collapsed to the ground, clutching their throats. Talduffer slumped to the ground, a sword piercing his heart.

At this moment, Peruvieri looked at the three people lying in a pool of blood. Her gaze then swept over the scattered raw stones and the Heart of the Icefield, and finally settled on the blood-stained red crystal that had been forgotten in a corner.

She bent down, as if to pick it up.

However, just as her fingertips were about to touch the crystal, another hand appeared out of thin air and grabbed the crystal in its palm.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Zhao Heng and Zi Xuan were instantly surprised, for the other party was none other than Diablo, one of the Six Evil Saints, whom they had faced in the Abyss.

They then witnessed Peruvieri's conversation with Diavolo, and only then did they understand why Peruvieri's image appeared in the photograph left by the old archivist's grandfather.

“I see.” Zhao Heng lowered his head to organize his thoughts. “Mo Yan and the others went to find Peruvieri and accidentally activated the Time Stone, so they were taken to the past and assisted Peruvieri in personally completing this destined event engraved in cause and effect.”

"Huh? So you mean, Pepe and the others are stuck in the past?" Claire asked, turning around as if she realized something.

Zhao Heng nodded: "That's right, but I'm quite relieved. Mo Yan said before that although we go back to the past, the present time will not change, so no matter how long they stay in the past, they will eventually return here in this timeline."

Hearing this, Claire breathed a sigh of relief: "Really? That's good. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do if Pepe stayed in the past."

The phantom continued recounting the facts until Peruvian, with a resentful expression, dipped the transaction slip on the table into her blood before quietly leaving the room. At that moment, the scene suddenly changed.

That was a clip of Phoenix returning to the scene with Peruvier, now known as Arecino, to investigate. They examined the body, scrutinized the "manipulated" scene, and listened to the guard's initial, misguided report.

Peruvieri remained indifferent throughout, only glancing at the blood-stained transaction slip when no one was looking, her eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions: hatred, relief, and a resigned acceptance of the fait accompli.

Only after the guards finished their investigation and left the room did she approach Phoenix and begin talking to him.

"Teacher, since you've already intervened in this case, why can't you, in your name, re-convict this guy?"

Phoenix chuckled softly and looked at the corpse on the ground.

"Indeed, with the prestige of the Three Saints of the Glacier, revealing the truth will certainly convince more people. But as that demon said, this is a stage you must go through in your karma, therefore I can only comply and cannot change it for you."

"Furthermore, thanks to that bloodstained transaction slip, Talduffer's signature has completely blended with the blood, becoming evidence to exonerate him. Even if he can temporarily suppress the crowd with his reputation, do you really think they'll behave themselves instead of spreading rumors in the streets with doubts?"

Peruvieri remained silent in her recollection. Indeed, it was because of Diablo's words that she had hidden the words on the transaction slip bearing his signature in the blood, but she never expected that this step would also be included in the cause and effect.

Phoenix's words shattered her last shred of hope. She was right; forcibly using her reputation to "correct" the truth might temporarily silence the gossip, but once the seeds of suspicion were sown, they would only breed more rumors and could even shake the trust within the glacier in the paladin's impartiality.

The "evidence of rebellion" left by the "deceased" Talduffer, while a blasphemous glorification of the devil, is the "truth" that is most "acceptable" to people of this era.

Even so, she was still filled with resentment. To bury such a demon in human skin as a "hero who resisted evildoers" was nothing short of torture for her.

Phoenix seemed to see through her struggle and sighed softly.

"Anger makes people impulsive, and sadness makes them hesitant. That's something you said before; when I asked you about it, you told me it was a lesson you learned from me."

"My child, I understand how you feel. But sometimes, the most correct choice is precisely the one that causes the most pain. For the sake of a greater 'effect,' some 'cause' must be accepted, even if it distorts the truth, even if it goes against your conscience."

As she spoke, she chuckled softly again.

"Heh, don't be so sad. Even if you can't convict him now, in the future, when all of this becomes history, you can tell the truth as you believe it in your own way. Because every lie will eventually be exposed. I believe that day will come."

Even if... it lasts for two hundred years, or even longer?

Phoenix nodded, and that concluded the review.

At this moment, Clementine remained silent.

After a long silence, Zixuan broke the silence by speaking first.

"So this is the truth."

Claire took a deep breath, the cool air calming her turbulent emotions slightly.

As she watched the illusory light and shadow gradually dissipate before her, the sins buried in the dust, the distorted justice, and the pain and helplessness of her dearest friend buried deep in her heart all sank into the shadows of history as the light dimmed.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Heng said, "Miss Clover, please don't be sad. Or you should feel fortunate, after all, it was you who resolved this regret for Miss Perovelli."

“That’s right.” Zixuan smiled. “As a Glacier Paladin, you must cheer up. I believe Miss Peruvier would be hoping the same thing if she were here.”

Clementine paused for a moment, then smiled with relief: "Yes, Pepe is carrying all of this alone right now. And it's my turn to take over from her and complete this final step."