["Little March always handles these small details so logically, but the rest…" Welt suddenly shifted his tone, looking at March 7th: "Also, why did I suddenly turn into a Golden Automaton?"]
["That's Pu'er's hidden setting—he transforms into a Golden Automaton in critical moments," March 7th explained patiently.]
["…Uh, alright."]
[Luocha let out a cold laugh and said lightly: "The standards of local gangs are a bit too low, aren't they?"]
[With that, Luocha raised his slender sword, effortlessly destroying the Golden Automaton. His unexpectedly masterful swordsmanship infuriated Pom-Pom, who stomped their feet in anger: "How dare you, pa! You'll pay for this, pa!"]
[Luocha figured that causing such a commotion in Exalting Sanctum would soon attract the Cloud Knights, so he boarded a starskiff and escaped the scene with the help of an unknown individual… Though it's unclear who March 7th's 'unknown individual' was, this was the full account of the [Luocha Disappearance Incident].]
["Little March, I don't want to discourage you, but… your deduction still has a few small issues."]
[Welt earnestly pointed out some "minor" problems, like "Luocha appearing in footage after escaping," but most crucially, even with such a perilous journey, he wouldn't have been delayed for two hours.]
[After all the deductions, March realized they were still going in circles, so they decided to visit the scene in person. But just as they stepped out, they saw two local Xianzhou crosstalk performers talking with Qingzu.]
[The two had come looking for someone, and that someone was none other than Luocha!]
[When asked why, their response was shocking: "To be honest, this man saved our lives."]
[They explained that they were the black-clad figures in the footage. They weren't actually wearing black; they had fallen into a ditch and were covered in mud.]
[March then recalled Hidden Book mentioning a foul smell… Turns out, the stench came from these two.]
[In short, Luocha had gone to great lengths to rescue them, and those two hours were mostly spent on that effort.]
Honkai Impact 3rd
——
"After all that circling and guessing, it turns out Luocha is a good person? I thought—"
Tesla paused mid-sentence, noticing Welt's expression wasn't quite right. She sighed and offered some comfort: "Joachim, I really think you don't need to be so tense about this. Sure, Luocha looks almost exactly like Otto, but he's not Otto, is he?"
"We've made so many guesses before, and this time even you miscalculated… No, to be precise, it's not a miscalculation—you overcalculated. Luocha was only thinking one step ahead, but you've already jumped to the fifth step in your head."
That was true. Welt admitted he always instinctively tried to analyze this man's thoughts and plans.
When Luocha saved Xueyi in front of Dan Heng, Sushang, and others, Welt assumed it was a facade. But even in private, Luocha consistently maintained a kind demeanor—could Welt really have been wrong?
…As Himeko said, was this version of Luocha just a good person?
"No, no… there's still one issue. If Luocha was just helping out, why did he secretly tear out the book's front page? That's strange too, unless…"
"—Stop, stop, stop! Joachim, don't start overthinking again!"
Tesla had figured out a pattern. "I've noticed that no matter how much you think, things always unfold beyond your expectations. You're probably about to overcomplicate this 'Luocha tearing the book' thing again, aren't you? Why don't we just keep watching? Maybe it's much simpler than you think."
[Luocha, seeing the two about to leave, hurriedly called them back.]
["This sewage is somewhat toxic. I know a bit about medicine. Follow my prescription, take the medicine, and rest well," Luocha said, handing them a folded paper flower.]
[The paper flower was densely covered with writing—Luocha's handwritten prescription.]
[As for the paper… March 7th found it familiar. Unfolding it, she confirmed it was indeed the front page of The Case of Fisherman. Not only that, the other side of the page had writing too!]
[It read:]
[To the next reader, the culprit is Chang Hong, Master Chang Jiu's nephew—Spoiler Immortal.]
Teyvat
——
"So, Luocha tore out the page to spoil the story!" Xingqiu suddenly realized. "I thought it was a secret code for a rendezvous, but it turns out…"
Xingqiu, who often read novels from Liyue and Inazuma, had encountered plenty of people who spoiled stories on the front pages of books, and it always infuriated him. Especially with detective novels—knowing the culprit in advance ruined half the fun.
Xingqiu immediately felt a wave of guilt. Just moments ago, he had doubted Luocha's late-night sneaky behavior, suspecting him of being a villain in league with a Lord Ravager. But now, with the truth revealed, Xingqiu felt he had judged a gentleman with a petty mind.
"Speaking of which… this Master Chang Si, could it be that one from Liyue?" Xingqiu glanced at the name on the note, finding it oddly familiar.
Meanwhile, at Yujing Terrace, Keqing, Ningguang, and the other Seven Stars had gathered.
As Liyue Harbor grew increasingly prosperous with a rising population, it had become a melting pot of all sorts. To address this, the Seven Stars were discussing the promotion of a series of Liyue moral exemplars to guide public values.
The initial candidate was Baizhu, known for healing the sick, but seeing Luocha on the Celestial Screen, Keqing began to waver.
"What if we make an exception this time and name Luocha as this month's moral exemplar for Liyue Harbor?" Keqing proposed. "Luocha's medical skills are exceptional, and he helps others. Regardless of his methods, his kindness is truly rare."
"Baizhu is excellent, but we can nominate him later, no?"
"Hmm, that sounds good," Ningguang nodded in agreement. "Since Luocha has cleared his name regarding the Stellaron, why don't we make a big event of it? We can produce more posters, spreading the word from Qingce Village to the Chasm."
"…Let's move quickly and entrust this to Ganyu."
——
["It seems the Luocha you all had your eyes on isn't just innocent—he's a genuinely kind-hearted person," Qingzu remarked.]
["Tearing out the page to prevent others from being spoiled… it shows he really loves The Case of Fisherman. And how could someone who loves that book do anything bad?" March 7th giggled. "Looks like we got it wrong."]
[Welt let out a long breath: "Indeed, judging by appearances is never good… Oh, by the way, Dahao said the Commission restored some new footage about Luocha. Let's go take a look."]
[Before the Four-Square Viewing Mirror, Dahao was playing footage of Luocha. He stood on an open platform, gazing at the withered, decayed stump of the Ambrosial Arbor in the distance, speaking to someone unknown.]
["Don't worry… I'll take care of it."]
["Yes, none of this concerns you or me… The journey has only just begun…"]
[His words suddenly stopped, and the footage cut off completely.]
["Huh? Why'd the sound cut out?" March 7th pouted in disappointment, but then she heard heavy breathing from behind—Welt.]
["…"]
[Welt closed his eyes, feeling his temples throb intensely.]