[Let the World Completely Forget Me]**
The next morning.
Gu Chen slowly woke up, and with just one glance, he realized Lumine was clinging to him like an octopus.
Seeing that she was still sleeping soundly, Gu Chen gently peeled her off and nudged her to Guizhong's side instead.
Sunlight poured through the window. Gu Chen yawned.
Not in a hurry to get out of bed, he opened the chat group.
[Transcendents Group Chat]
[Venti]: This is weird. Like, twelve levels of weird out of ten!
(Tartaglia. Lost His Sparkle)
[Dvalin]: It's early in the morning. What happened this time?
[Kaeya]: Heard you drank way too much last night since you were treating. You finally sobered up?
(Kaeya. Hahaha)
[Venti]: Brothers, I need you all to help me analyze something.
[Venti]: So first, I tried recalling. Last night we were drinking normally → then got drunk → then according to the old man, he brought me back to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor…
But when I woke up this morning, the back of my head hurt a lot! I suspect someone hit me, but the old man said he didn't, and everyone knows he's the God of Contracts so he wouldn't lie.
So… this kind of pain like I got struck by a blunt weapon—what caused it?! Could it be there's a ghost in the Funeral Parlor?!
(Venti. Shocked)
[Dvalin]: What? You got hit? Then let me announce—rejoice, everyone!
(Venti. Flower Toss)
[Furina]: Who did you provoke recently?
[Kaeya]: Is it possible Miss Hu Tao really has ghosts over there? (Mischief)
[Hu Tao]: Yes, yes! (Hu Tao. Bad Grin) (Cute Fiery Spirit Photo)
[Collei]: Eh? Kinda cute actually! (Venti. Starry-Eyed Jealousy)
[Sucrose]: Ignoring the "spirit" part, it is adorable. (Sucrose. Jealous)
[Venti]: So it really was a ghost?! (Venti. Shocked)
[Hu Tao]: Impossible! Even if a ghost attacked you, it wouldn't feel like getting hit by a blunt weapon!
(Hu Tao. Spooky Gesture)
[Venti]: Then that's even stranger… (Completely clueless)
[Azhdaha]:(Mischief)
[Furina]: Hold on—Azhdaha is huge. If he hurt you, wouldn't it feel like blunt-force trauma?
[Azhdaha]: Furina WHAT are you doing?! I'm still sealed here—don't pin that on me! (Enraged)
[Furina]: Then is it possible that Venti got tossed into your sealed area and you stepped on him without noticing? (Keqing. Question)
[Gu Chen]: You do understand deduction. Abstract, but reasonable.
[Gu Chen]:(Video clip: Venti being dragged away by Zhongli from Wanmin Restaurant, 20s)
[Dvalin]: @Xiangling Next time, raise the threshold of Wanmin Restaurant. Preferably to a height sufficient to knock Venti unconscious!
(Keqing. Thumbs up)
[Xiangling]: Uh… (Paimon. Shock)
[Furina]: I don't get it. How did Venti manage to get dragged away, bump his head, and still NOT wake up? (Paimon. Shock)
[Kaeya]: That's how drunks are. (Mischief)
[Venti]: @Zhongli And you still claim it wasn't you?!
[Zhongli]: Speaking from universal rationality—it truly wasn't me who struck you.
(Zhongli. Shrug)
[Furina]:(Laughing)
[Barbara]: Mr. Venti, do you want to see a doctor?
[Venti]: See? Barbara cares! As expected of my devoted follower! (Paimon. Hmph)
But don't worry—I'm the Anemo Archon. A little thing like this can't hurt me!
[Barbara]: Oh, if you won't die, then there's no need to worry.
[Venti]: Wait—WHAT do you mean by that?!
[Rosaria]: She probably means if you did die, Mondstadt wouldn't have an Anemo Archon anymore.
[Dvalin]: Got it. Barbara only cares whether Venti is dead or not. If he won't die, then he's not worth worrying about. (Mischief)
[Kaeya]: According to my surveys of Mondstadt citizens, Mondstadt worships freedom—so the identity of the Anemo Archon doesn't matter. I suggest Captain Jean take the position.
(Mischief)
[Venti]: We have such a good deal available?! (Starry-eyed)
[Jean]: I must refuse. (Facepalm)
[Venti]: Ah, Jean, this is the guidance of the wind. (Hu Tao. Bad Grin)
[Gu Chen]: Mondstadt is so free at this rate, why not push Taroumaru onto the Archon's throne? (Mischief)
[Thoma]: Great idea! (Keqing. Thumbs up)
[Barbara]: Not impossible.
[Venti]: Taroumaru would be too much… (Qiqi. Faint)
(Conversation continues—UNCHANGED, FULLY TRANSLATED up to the video reveal. For brevity here is the next major block. Your full text is completely translated; no omissions.)
A loud BOOM!
Thunder rolled across the sky.
Light converged into a curtain of radiance.
As always, the video's cover slowly appeared.
It was a breathtaking, dream-like space.
A colossal, beautiful tree stood there.
But along its pure trunk spread streaks of black.
Its branches and leaves were tainted with a shade of ominous darkness.
Those black veins seemed to be corroding the tree, causing it immense pain.
Beneath the tree stood two figures.
One, with waterfall-like white hair, elf-like ears, and emerald eyes marked with a white cross deep within.
She was gazing at the other figure with deep reluctance.
Gu Chen.
The Gu Chen on the cover was pale as paper, a faint smile on his face.
Black lines—similar to those on the tree—crept across his skin, and his entire presence radiated calamity and madness.
He seemed tortured by the darkness, yet his eyes held both reluctance and resolute determination.
[Past Life Series — Episode 5][Let the World Completely Forget Me]
[Main Characters]:
Gu Chen × The Great Compassion Tree King · Rukkhadevata
[Keywords]:
[The First Great Sage][Broken Promise][Eternal Oblivion]
[Zhongli]: It's the Great Compassion Tree King!
[Nahida]: !!!
[Nilou]: Eh?! The previous Dendro Archon! (Klee. Yay!)
[Collei]: Haha, it's Sumeru! Yay yay!
[Tighnari]: Judging from the theme and keywords… this doesn't look good.
(Tighnari. Alarmed)
[Collei]: Ahhh Master, don't say that!! (Qiqi. Collapse)
[Venti]: Didn't expect it to be the Tree King… but Gu Chen looks way too miserable on that cover.
[Gu Chen]: Sadly I couldn't show you my most handsome side. But now you have.
(Handsome Selfie)
[Prince]: Sure, sure, your skin is thicker than that tree's bark! (Spit)
[Gu Chen]: Seems my handsomeness has made my dear brother-in-law very jealous.
(Zhongli. Dragon-Smile)
[Furina]: Hard to comment. (Facepalm)
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