Following Keqing's orders, the Millelith brought Kael's body back to Wanmin.
A pitch-black coffin now stood in the center of the restaurant.
The Millelith captain stood to the side, looking at the gathered family with sympathy.
"We found Mr. Kael this morning in The Chasm. He was... Wait!"
The Millelith captain saw Chef Mao trying to open the coffin lid and quickly pressed his hand down to stop him.
"Chef Mao, when we found Mr. Kael, his body had already been corroded by a dark energy. You... need to prepare yourselves..."
Hearing the captain's words, Chef Mao didn't hesitate. He pushed open the coffin lid.
Kael lay inside the coffin, half of his face rotted and emitting an evil black mist.
The other half of his face was as handsome as ever, his eyes closed peacefully.
The stark contrast between the two halves of his face created a shocking visual impact.
Chef Mao's trembling hand brushed Kael's hair. "Why did my son end up like this? What happened to him..."
Xiangling covered her mouth, sobbing uncontrollably. "Brother..."
The Millelith captain glanced at Keqing, hesitating to speak.
Keqing, fighting back tears, closed her eyes and nodded.
Only then did the captain speak. "We found Mr. Kael in an abandoned laboratory. His condition suggests he may have been subjected to human experimentation."
Chef Mao looked at the rotted half of Kael's face, imagining the inhuman suffering his son must have endured. His already weak body couldn't take it anymore, and he collapsed backward, fainting.
Xiangling, standing by the coffin, tried to catch Chef Mao but was too weak from crying. She fell to the ground with him.
Keqing said to the Millelith captain, "Please help them to the inner courtyard to rest."
When Wanmin was finally empty, Keqing could no longer suppress the metallic taste in her throat. A mouthful of blood spilled from her lips.
She dragged herself to the coffin and slowly reached out to touch the rotted half of Kael's face.
As soon as her hand came into contact with the black mist, she felt it seep into her skin, bringing with it a piercing, bone-deep pain.
The sudden pain made Keqing frown, but she didn't slow her movements. Her hand continued forward until it touched Kael's face.
Keqing's body trembled from the pain. She felt the stiff, cold skin beneath her palm, allowing the black mist to corrode her as if punishing herself.
"Kael, this pain of the black mist seeping into my bones is unbearable."
"Did you endure this torment before you left?"
Keqing looked at Kael, a gentle smile on her lips, but her eyes burned with overwhelming hatred.
These two opposing emotions on her face made Keqing appear almost unhinged.
"I won't let them get away with this. I'll make them pay with their lives."
Seeing the usually composed and rational Keqing in this state, Kael, standing nearby, felt a mix of fear and heartache.
But he was more worried for her.
Now wasn't the best time to confront the Fatui.
In fact, based on the timeline of the Genshin Impact story, even after a long time, Liyue wouldn't truly be able to hold the Fatui accountable.
Although Keqing was one of the Liyue Qixing with significant authority, dealing with the Fatui alone would be too much for her.
The other Liyue Qixing wouldn't let her take such risks.
If Keqing became too fixated on revenge, he feared she might end up harming herself.
There were still four days until he would be resurrected.
Once he was revived, he hoped he could comfort Keqing and help her regain her rationality.
...
After gazing at the coffin for a long time, Keqing left Wanmin.
With the restaurant now empty, Kael finally had the chance to examine his own face.
"Damn, this is disgusting."
Kael saw that half of his body was rotted and emitting black mist, feeling a wave of nausea.
Keqing had actually reached out and touched it.
That truly was an act of deep love.
Not even he wanted to touch his own face in this state.
"System, will I be resurrected into this body?"
[Yes, in this Life Simulation, you will be resurrected into your original body.]
But it's already rotted to this extent.
He doubted whether this body would even be usable after resurrection.
[After resurrection, the body will not return to its original state, but it will still function normally. Please rest assured.]
"Fine. Disgusting or not, as long as it works."
-----
After a night of grief, Chef Mao and Xiangling forced themselves to pull together the next morning.
Kael's body was still lying in the center of Wanmin.
The people of Liyue placed great importance on funeral rites, believing they could honor the deceased and help them pass on peacefully.
Chef Mao felt they needed to prepare a funeral to let Kael rest in peace.
Before Chef Mao could even go to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Hu Tao arrived early in the morning with her attendants.
"Chef Mao, I heard your son Kael has returned. Would you like to order our services?"
Hu Tao's cheerful voice was completely out of place in the somber atmosphere of Wanmin.
One of her attendants whispered a reminder, "Director, you're being too cheerful..."
Chef Mao and Xiangling no longer had the energy to argue with Hu Tao. Chef Mao went to the back courtyard and brought out all his savings.
"Director Hu, please prepare the highest-level funeral for my son. Is this enough money?"
Hu Tao took the money bag and counted its contents.
"It's more than enough. This amount could cover three high-level funerals. Not just for your son, but perhaps you'd like to book one for yourself too? It's cheaper if you—" (wtf?)
"Director!" The attendant quickly stopped Hu Tao from continuing. He nervously glanced at Chef Mao, fearing he might lash out.
Chef Mao wasn't angered by Hu Tao's words. At this moment, he wished it was his body lying in that coffin.
He would have gladly traded his life for Kael's.
It was better than a parent burying their child.
"Director Hu, thank you. Please use the best of everything..."
Thinking of Kael's corpse, Chef Mao choked up. "I want Kael to leave this world with dignity..."
"No problem. Leave everything to me."
Hu Tao stepped forward and waved her attendants over.
The attendants brought out cosmetics and tools.
Their job was to restore the deceased to their living appearance, letting the cold body regain a semblance of life.
But as they approached the coffin, they froze.
"This... Director, you might want to take a look at this."
They were experienced morticians who had prepared countless bodies in Liyue.
But they had never seen a corpse in such a state.
Looking at Kael's eerie and horrifying appearance, they were at a loss.
"What's wrong?"
Hu Tao bounded over to the coffin. Seeing Kael's condition inside, her previously carefree expression turned serious.
"Call Zhongli. He needs to see this."
While the attendants went to fetch Zhongli, Hu Tao walked over to a corner and whispered to the air, "Hey, how did you end up with all this Karma?"
Kael was no longer surprised that Hu Tao could see him.
He said, "This stuff probably got on me after I died. Honestly, I have no idea what it is."
"Also, since you can see and hear me, could you tell my dad and Xiangling that I was only sent for experimentation after I died? Maybe that'll ease their pain a bit."
Hu Tao thought for a moment, then agreed.
"I can do that for you, but you have to promise me that after the funeral, you'll go where you're supposed to go. You can't linger in the mortal world any longer."
Kael agreed immediately.
The funeral was set for three days later, which happened to be the day of his resurrection. Naturally, he wouldn't need to remain a spirit after that.
After a while, Kael saw Zhongli arrive at Wanmin.
----
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