Yae Miko's question truly caught Lin Mo off guard.
"The meaning of the journey..."
Lin Mo murmured these words, his gaze growing somewhat lost.
If one were to speak of the goal of the journey,
his objective was essentially the same as Lumine's: to travel through all seven nations.
While his power gradually grew, he would strive to rebuild the connections severed across a hundred lifetimes.
Ultimately, with the help of these bonds, he would join forces to launch an assault on Celestia and draw his sword against the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
But that was merely the final objective of the journey.
So then, what was the meaning of the journey?
Was it to traverse the entire continent of Teyvat and see the true nature of this world?
However, Lin Mo believed that,
as an ancient being who had experienced a hundred cycles of reincarnation in the world of Teyvat,
the secrets he knew, the truths he had witnessed, had already given him his own understanding of this world.
Take the supreme Archons of this world, for example.
Lin Mo had long since seen through their true nature.
Because all currently known Archons,
their divine names originate from the 72 Pillars of the Solomon mythology.
Among them, those at the pinnacle of the 72 Pillars are known as the Four Crowns of the Twenty.
The ancient civilization worshipped the Three Moon Goddesses.
The New Moon, the Void Moon, and the Abyssal Moon shared a close friend, a star named the Herald of Dawn.
The Three Moon Goddesses plus the star—these four deities precisely correspond to the Four Crowns among the 72 Pillars of Solomon.
Each of the four deities corresponds to a specific power:
Creation, Destruction, Space, and Time.
The New Moon Goddess, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
Her divine name is Asmodeus, one of the Four Crowns.
As the ruler of the world, the Heavenly Principles hold the highest authority.
The dominion she wields is "Space."
The best proof is the false sky that one sees when looking up.
Due to the great war among the Three Goddesses in the past, the sky of Teyvat was shattered.
The Heavenly Principles, who commands the power of space, created the False Sky.
Celestia is precisely the foundation that maintains this False Sky.
Why does the Heavenly Principles fear and even detest "power from outside the world"?
Because the Abyss, and even most regions of the Dark Sea, were formed from the corpse of the defeated Abyssal Moon Goddess.
The Abyssal Moon Goddess, her divine name is Astaroth.
In Solomon mythology, her power is Creation.
This is also why biological alchemy can utilize the power of the Abyss to create life.
Simultaneously, it is the reason why the Heavenly Principles fears and detests the power of the Abyss.
Hence, the fall of the Kingdom of Dragonspine, hence the destruction of Khaenri'ah.
As for the last of the Three Goddesses, the Void Moon Goddess...
Why is Lin Mo accustomed to choosing the Void Moon Goddess as the lie for his hundred cycles of reincarnation?
Because he knows that only she has the power to validate his falsehood.
The complete form of the Void Moon Goddess
corresponds to Baal among the Four Crowns of the 72 Pillars of Solomon.
The Void Moon Goddess was defeated in the ancient war of the Three Moon Goddesses and fell to the mortal realm.
After her death, she split into Baal and Beelzebul.
The terrifying destructive power that Ei displayed when she slew the great serpent with a single strike—
her representative power is Destruction.
New Moon, Abyssal Moon, Void Moon—three of the Four Crowns accounted for.
There remains the final one: the star, the Herald of Dawn.
Thinking of this, Lin Mo turned his gaze towards the adorable little Paimon who was staring at him with a blank look.
Why hasn't Lin Mo tried to test Paimon's strength even now?
Because Lin Mo has known from the very beginning that Paimon is not the Heavenly Principles.
Although he doesn't know why Paimon appears in this cute and easily-bullied form,
Paimon is indeed one of the Four Crowns.
She is the close friend of the Three Moon Goddesses, the star, whose controlled ability is Time.
...
These secrets of the world, Lin Mo can say he knows them all.
To this day, the continent of Teyvat holds no more secrets in Lin Mo's eyes.
So, if one asks what the meaning of Lin Mo's journey is,
Lin Mo does not know.
After all, he is merely a mortal, a fledgling who has only recently obtained the power of the Anemo Archon Barbatos.
He does not know the Heavenly Principles' next move.
Nor does he know the reason behind the Abyss Order's rebellion against the Heavenly Principles.
Is it to take revenge on the Heavenly Principles for the Abyssal Moon Goddess?
Or to vent the hatred born from the separation of siblings during their travels across the world long ago?
Of course, Lin Mo is also unclear about the true reason behind the Tsaritsa's rebellion against the Heavenly Principles.
Could the meaning of the journey ahead be to unearth all these still-unknown secrets?
But...
Lin Mo has little interest in all of this.
After all, he was not originally from this world.
The secrets of Teyvat, the future direction of Teyvat—what concern are they of his?
"Lord Sasayuri, you seem quite lost~"
Yae Miko seemed to perceive the confusion in Lin Mo's eyes.
She couldn't help but extend a slender hand, gently pinching Lin Mo's cheek, and said with a light laugh, "Since Lord Sasayuri cannot find the meaning of your journey for the time being, then why can't this meaning... be the little fox right before your eyes?"
Yae Miko's reminder
suddenly made Lin Mo's eyes brighten.
Yes...
This lifetime
is completely different from the previous ninety-nine.
Lin Mo has his beloved, his close friends, his disciples, his children.
Why can't the meaning of the journey be them?
Thinking this,
Lin Mo's gaze couldn't help but turn towards the crowd laughing joyfully at the banquet.
Seeing Lin Mo slowly turn his face,
a trace of resentment instantly flashed in Yae Miko's eyes. "Lord Sasayuri! Where are you looking? Must you include everyone to be satisfied with the meaning of your journey?"
"Ahem... no, no..." Lin Mo awkwardly turned his face back.
Looking into Yae Miko's resentful gaze, he couldn't help but say with warmth, "Miko, thank you for helping me find my way."
"Oh? Is Lord Sasayuri's thanks merely verbal?" Yae Miko said with a hint of playful interest.
Seeing her expression, Lin Mo immediately felt a sense of foreboding.
Every time this woman was about to play a trick, she had this exact look in her eyes!
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T/N:
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