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The father retention rate in Teyvat really is worrying.
Dehya's matter had been settled, but there was still another father-and-daughter pair in Aaru Village—Jebrael and Jeht. If no one intervened, it was likely another father would meet his end.
Night had fallen, and it wasn't until the next morning that Victor Wang sought out Jebrael.
"That so-called 'Flame-Mane' said you were looking for us, but I don't think I've seen you before."
Faced with Jebrael's skepticism, Victor Wang opened with a riddle:
"Uzad, lost to the path, swallowed by the storm, buried in the sands.
Bouhanu, now unseen, born a hunter, perished by the Red Vulture.
Izder, unable to awaken, the venom of the scorpion suffocates him.
And then you—Jebrael, fallen into feigned death, and Samail you ultimately saved.
Guess as you will, but apart from Tarafa, who betrayed the Scarlet King, I was once considered a friend to one of the other five. I will avenge him."
Though Jebrael's expression was hidden behind the red silk eyepatch, he was likely frowning. After a few moments, he said:
"It's Samail… No, this tone… it's like the letters we left in the Wadi Al-Majuj… That place was perilous, but for 'Fox Mask,' it's truly nothing to fear."
Victor Wang smiled. "It's always easier speaking to someone clever. No need for me to explain more."
Jebrael shook his head. "I roughly understand why you came to me, but I'm sorry. I have no interest in revenge anymore. Do as you wish. I won't venture into the desert again."
"If Babel's grudge can still be set aside, what about Samail?" Victor Wang pressed. "I've done some investigation. After you and Samail escaped the Tanit tribe, you established 'Thutmose,' loyal to the Scarlet King, right? And even though you saved him, he killed your wife, forcing you to flee the desert with your daughter."
"…"
"I want to know—if you had the chance to take revenge on Samail, would you act?"
Broad-shouldered, sun-darkened skin, scars crisscrossing his body—this was once the desert's top-tier warrior, Jebrael.
The past between Jebrael and Samail was not complicated. Both were born in the Tanit tribe of the desert. For certain reasons, they were sent by Tanit's Matron, Babel, along with four others to execute dangerous missions.
Among those four was an assassin secretly arranged by Babel. After killing three of the group, the assassin was noticed by Jebrael, who feigned death to survive, then saved Samail and killed the assassin in return.
Afterward, Jebrael and Samail fled the Tanit tribe and founded Thutmose. However, their personalities clashed. Samail would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, while Jebrael endured the cooperation purely for his faith in the Scarlet King.
To uncover the secrets left by the Scarlet King, Thutmose once employed a special method to summon the female scholar Ufairah Hindi from the Academia to assist. During this time, Jebrael and Ufairah fell in love, and Jeht was born. It was then Jebrael contemplated leaving the desert.
But to Samail, a fanatic of the Scarlet King, this was abnormal—a sign of obsession and corruption. So, he "removed the source of disease" for Jebrael by killing Ufairah.
At Victor Wang's questioning, these past events flashed vividly through Jebrael's mind.
Jebrael remained composed. He and Samail were polar opposites. Calmly, he replied:
"If making Samail repay this blood debt could bring back Ufairah's life, such a bargain—even if it meant striking him ten times, a hundred times—I doubt I'd hesitate at all.
But this is merely a pointless hypothesis, a fantasy unworthy of Ahmar.
Now, I only pray that Ufairah has found peace in the boundless desert. A person trapped by past hatred cannot raise her daughter.
So, I leave the sands behind, solely to keep Jeht away from… emotions that would do her no good."
Victor Wang pressed further. "What if Samail tries to harm you—or your daughter—again?"
Jebrael's gaze sharpened instantly, piercing as if it could cut through the eyepatch. He stared vigilantly at Victor Wang. "I will not let that happen."
"I understand. Don't worry. I'm just asking. Nothing will happen."
Those who make a mark in the desert—like Rahman or Kusayla—bear rugged appearances shaped by the sands, but possess a delicate mindset. Jebrael was no different.
Ufairah came from the scholarly Hindi family, a lineage of academic prestige. She was a top-tier scholar with limitless potential, recognized even by Safir, the one who killed her. Yet she had eloped with a bloodied desert mercenary—Jebrael—and ultimately lost her life.
Jebrael carried deep guilt for Ufairah in his heart.
Thus, though he decided not to venture further into the desert, years later, upon learning that Ufairah's relative, Tirzad, planned to return to continue her research, Jebrael took the commission to protect Tirzad without hesitation. Even knowing he would likely encounter Samail and Thutmose, he completed the protection mission with his life and safeguarded Ufairah's research.
Victor Wang chuckled and repeated, "Nothing will happen. I'll carry out my revenge. Since you have no intention of participating, it will be as you say."
Jebrael and Jeht left Aaru Village, heading toward the rainforest.
Victor Wang left Aaru Village, heading deep into the desert.
…
"This must be Thutmose' stronghold, right?"
"Who are you?"
"Tell your leader… Your current leader is Samail, yes?"
"Hmph!"
"Hmph? Does that mean yes or no?"
Rock spikes sprouted from the sands, four per person. The unfriendly Thutmose guards were all firmly trapped.
Someone tried to shout to alert their comrades inside, but the spikes pressed precisely against his chin, forcing him to tilt his head and carefully say, "Y-Yes… don't kill me!"
"Relax. We're not your enemies. Go tell Samail that Jebrael has returned. He'll be glad to hear it."
The guards glanced at one another, hesitant to take the task. As a result, the spikes pressed against all their chins, gradually rising.
"Go! We'll go! Let us discuss it first!"
"Think carefully. If Samail doesn't come out in three minutes, I'll go in myself."
The spikes dissipated easily. The guards huddled together to whisper, and one of them quickly ran into the stronghold…
===BREAK===
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