Under the old man's guidance, Makoto quickly found the cemetery.
Under the moonlight, neatly stacked Shitou could be seen.
And next to the Shitou, a brown-yellow dog was curled up.
That should be Taroumaru, as the old man mentioned.
Taroumaru's condition was very bad at the moment; he was lying on the ground, his breath weak, not as lively and active as a normal dog.
Most importantly, his eyes were dim, devoid of light.
Makoto also noticed that the fur at Taroumaru's tear ducts was wet with tears.
It seemed his tears hadn't stopped since the old man passed away.
Looking at the heartbroken Taroumaru, Makoto's heart was also filled with mixed emotions.
Compared to complex human hearts, a dog's loyalty seemed exceptionally simple and pure.
In their world, their master was everything.
And according to the old man, upon his passing, Taroumaru entered a state of fasting.
He hadn't eaten or drunk for three days and three nights, and his condition was very poor.
If nothing was done, Taroumaru was very likely to be in life-threatening danger.
Makoto decided to take the first step and try to approach Taroumaru.
As if sensing someone approaching, Taroumaru vigilantly stood up.
He held a katana, acquired from who knows where, in his mouth, adopting an attacking stance.
Although Taroumaru was just a dog who had been fasting for several days, when he held the katana in his mouth, both his gaze and the aura around him changed significantly.
At this moment, Taroumaru resembled a samurai.
He stood there, his eyes fearless and resolute.
No matter who stepped into this territory, he would drive them away, thus ensuring his master's peace.
"Has Taroumaru taken me as an enemy?"
Makoto felt the problem was a bit tricky.
He still remembered the fear of being dominated by Taroumaru in the game events, because this dog was even better at parrying than he was!
It could be said that Taroumaru and Ei in the game were among the few troublesome opponents Makoto encountered.
Watching Taroumaru raise his sword towards Makoto, the old man's voice was filled with deep apology: "I'm sorry, Taroumaru has been in this state ever since I passed away."
"No matter if it's a person or another animal, as long as they come near, he will drive them away."
The old man paused, his gaze fixed on Taroumaru, and continued, "But in reality, Taroumaru has no ill will."
"That child just doesn't want anyone to disturb my slumber."
Makoto nodded, indicating he understood.
Taroumaru didn't want to be an enemy; he just wanted the old man's tomb to remain peaceful forever, which is why he used this method to warn people away.
Facing such a loyal dog, Makoto was quite fond of him.
However, how was he supposed to communicate with Taroumaru right now?
The dog had a katana in his mouth and showed no intention of communicating; he just wanted Makoto to leave.
At this moment, Makoto looked at the old man beside him and quickly asked, "Old Sir, do you have any special command words with Taroumaru?"
"That is, what did you often say to Taroumaru before?"
For a moment, the old man showed a thoughtful expression.
"Yes, I used to often say to Taroumaru, 'Taroumaru, be a good boy!'"
"Every time I said that to him, he would immediately become well-behaved."
As the words fell, Makoto turned to look at Taroumaru, who was holding the katana in his mouth.
He mimicked the old man's tone and said to Taroumaru, "Taroumaru, be a good boy!"
In that instant, Makoto clearly saw Taroumaru freeze for a moment.
Because he heard the old man's familiar words, the dog's hostility towards Makoto lessened significantly.
He tilted his head and looked at Makoto from side to side, clearly not expecting to hear familiar words from Makoto's mouth.
While Taroumaru was confused, Makoto walked towards him step by step, and he kept repeating the words the old man used to say to Taroumaru when he was alive.
"Taroumaru, you are the smartest dog I have ever seen."
"Taroumaru, we're going out for a walk."
"Taroumaru, thank you for always being by my side."
Each familiar phrase made Taroumaru more and more dazed.
In a trance, he saw the old man's shadow in Makoto.
By the time Taroumaru snapped out of it, Makoto was already standing in front of him.
Makoto knelt down and gently rubbed Taroumaru's head.
"Your master has gone to a very, very distant place; I suppose you already know that, right?"
"He's very sad to see you in this state, so he asked me to take care of you."
"I don't know if you can understand what I'm saying, but you're so smart, you should be able to, right?"
"Taroumaru, your master hopes you'll cheer up and be as lively and happy as before."
"People always have to look forward, and so do dogs."
As he spoke, Makoto extended his hand towards Taroumaru.
"Come with me; let's start a new life."
"From now on, as long as I have food to eat, you'll have soup to drink."
"I will make you the strongest dog in Teyvat, that's my promise!"
Taroumaru noticed a blue light gathering above Makoto's head.
A figure slowly materialized; it was Taroumaru's master.
At this moment, the old man smiled and said softly, "Taroumaru, I'm about to leave."
"You shouldn't stay here either; you should go and start a new life."
The blue light around the old man flickered, and his figure was gradually disappearing.
He looked at Taroumaru, leaving his final words,
"Taroumaru, all this time, you've been taking care of me, and I haven't done anything for you."
"After much thought, the only thing I can do for you is to choose the most suitable master to take care of you."
The old man looked at Makoto and introduced him to Taroumaru: "This gentleman is very kind; from now on, you will follow him."
"With you by his side, I can rest assured."
The old man's figure dissipated with the wind.
In his final moment, he bent down to touch the untouchable Taroumaru.
The old man smiled and said, "Although it's hard to leave, I must."
"Taroumaru, goodbye."
"You must live, and live well."
The old man turned into specks of starlight and vanished.
Taroumaru ran wildly, trying to catch up with the old man in that way.
In the end, he only grasped at empty air.
When he looked up, he found that the location where the old man left corresponded to the entire starry sky.
The old man was one of those stars.
Taroumaru barked at the sky, as if responding to the old man.
Makoto stood quietly behind, watching.
He knew Taroumaru was saying goodbye to the old man.
He didn't know if it was because he worked too much yesterday and was overtired, or if he was feeling down looking at the cold data.
Perhaps it was both; in short, his condition was very bad, the kind where he was just babbling.
So today there's only one update. Sorry, I need to adjust my state.
Everyone, get some rest early.
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