Genshin Impact: The Road to Reversal

Peruvieri shook her head. "I'm the one who should be thanking you. You did a great job, very...good." Her voice was low and carried a hint of complex emotion.

Sandoni, standing to the side, returned to his original calm.

She snorted lightly: "Alright, since everyone's alright, I'll handle the follow-up reports and cleanup. You two, especially you, Clementine, get some rest and don't leave any lasting effects."

After saying that, Sandonne picked up the book, turned around and left the lounge, gently closing the door behind him.

Only Claire and Peruvier remained in the room. Outside, it was still dark, but this time, starlight pierced through the thin clouds, casting a cool, shimmering glow on the snow piled up on the windowsill. The room fell silent, save for the soft breathing of the two of them.

Suddenly, Claire asked softly, "Pepe, how long... have I been asleep?"

“One day and one night,” Peruvieri replied.

"So long."

“Hmm. Sandone said that although the poison in your body has been purified, the depletion was too great, and you need time to recover.” Peruvier paused, her gaze falling on Clementine’s face. “You did… very bravely, Clementine. You could even say it exceeded my expectations.”

"Really... I'm sorry to have worried everyone," Claire said with a smile.

She continued staring at the ceiling, remaining silent for a long time before softly asking, "Back then... did you do the same, teacher?"

Peruvieri nodded: "But... she wasn't as lucky as you."

Listen, Clementine chuckled softly, "I really envy you, being able to go back in time and see your teacher one last time."

"But I don't think it's something to look forward to," said Peruvier, with her arms crossed.

“Even so, you’re actually quite happy, aren’t you? After all, you got to live with your teacher and eventually fight alongside him.” She looked at Peruvier and continued, “I can sense that you’ve become much more cheerful since we met again at the police station. Even though we were only apart for a few hours, it felt like a reunion after a lifetime. The regrets are over, aren’t they?”

Peruvieri nodded, without denying it.

The room fell silent again. A moment later, just as Peruvier was about to speak, Karin's voice came from outside the door.

"Oh, Miss Sandone, what a coincidence... Hey, hey, where are you headed?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Karen opened the door, but her gaze remained fixed on the other side of the corridor.

“Honestly, at least say hello.” She said, hands on her hips, then looked around the room. “Ah, Miss Clementine, you’re awake.”

Seeing Claire open her eyes on the bed, she was delighted. Soon after, Mo Yan, Zi Xuan, and Zhao Heng also entered the room.

"Yes, I'm sorry to have worried you." She nodded and smiled, making a gesture to get up.

Upon seeing this, Peruvieri immediately stepped forward to help her up and adjusted her cushions.

Karin walked quickly to the bedside, her face filled with undisguised concern and excitement, and said, "That's great! You have no idea how worried everyone was, especially when Miss Peruvieri and Xuanxuan carried you out of the basement, everyone was terrified!"

"How are you feeling now?" Zixuan also stepped forward and asked.

Claire nodded. "Much better, just a little tired. By the way, I heard you talking about Ms. Sandoni, is she still here?"

Mo Yan nodded: "When we arrived, we saw her with her ear pressed against the door, and she didn't see us until Karen greeted her."

"But who would have thought that after being startled, she would just glance at us and walk away without looking back," Karen said, hands on her hips.

Peruvieri chuckled and looked at Claire: "It seems this 'young lady' cares about you quite a bit."

Upon hearing this, Claire smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "I guess... she feels that I've caused her a lot of trouble."

“No way!” Karin retorted immediately. “I saw it clearly. Her expression just now was definitely one of concern! It was that kind of… like she was really concerned but pretending to be indifferent!”

"Kaylin," Mo Yan called softly, then shook his head.

“Okay, okay.” Karin scratched her head. “But I didn’t expect that this young lady, who looks so gentle and weak, could be so ruthless when she beats people up.”

"Hmm?" Claire looked up slowly, as if she had heard something interesting.

Peruvieri chuckled and explained, "It's nothing. Those guys we caught in the basement tried to escape, but she knocked them out with one punch."

"Is that so?" Clementine said calmly.

"Hey, don't make it sound so ordinary, okay? That's a fist, it's pure machinery, okay? The sound, bang bang, is louder than a human head! You didn't see it, that Harklow tried to run away, but she punched him straight into the wall with an iron fist, and he couldn't even pry him out."

Karin gestured, but then, after a moment's thought, she quickly became awkwardly quiet.

"Oh right, I forgot you two already knew each other," she said, scratching her head.

Mo Yan stood to the side, head bowed: "Speaking of this Ms. Sandonne..."

Peruvieri noticed his confusion.

"There's no need to doubt it; she, like us, 'abides' to Hyotei's contract."

Clementine nodded: "Yes, that was fifty years ago, during the last trial on the glacier. She could have been our colleague, but in the end she refused the title of paladin and chose the guard regiment instead."

Peruvieri snorted coldly: "For this, we have to thank a certain tiger. If he hadn't stirred up trouble, Sandone wouldn't have developed such a strong prejudice against paladins."

“But thankfully, we’re friends now,” Clementine smiled. “By the way, where are the children?”

"Don't worry, everything's fine," Karen said, hands on her hips.

Peruvieri said, "Some of the children have been repatriated, and others are temporarily housed in the garrison's shelter, but..."

Her words suddenly stopped, but even without saying it, Clementine knew that from the beginning, not all children would be able to wait for rescue.

Those children who were used as "culture medium" and whose lives were taken by cruel experiments will remain forever in that dark underground.

Clementine closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, only determination remained in her eyes: "At least... we saved those we could save. And none of the culprits escaped."

Peruvieri nodded, but then hesitated, unsure of what to say next.

Zixuan said that the guards who were in charge of gathering intelligence had mentioned that there were many tall mounds of earth near those strongholds, buried by wind and snow, with children's clothes and toys scattered on them.

The excavation has been ongoing for a day and a night, and the progress is still ongoing.

They have unearthed hundreds of skeletal remains of infants. These are countless "Rocos" swallowed by darkness over countless years. Some of these remains still bear traces of experimental equipment, and even show deformities caused by viruses or brutal surgery.

“Pepe, those dead children… I want to bury them myself,” Claire suddenly said.

Peruvieri was taken aback and was about to speak when Clover replied, "We're friends, you don't need to hide this from me."

“Ha, it seems I’ve been overthinking things,” Peruvieri sighed, arms crossed. “But burying all the children at once isn’t the right time yet, and besides, you’re very weak right now…”

“I know that,” Claire replied softly. “I won’t be stubborn, but at least after I bring the children home, let me comfort them and let them rest in peace.”

Upon hearing this, Peruvieri lowered her hands: "Understood. We expect to exhume all the children's remains in three days. I will inform you after everything is ready in two more days."