Genshin Impact: I Became The Son Of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata

A Pet Shop on Bubu Street

After applying some makeup to disguise himself, Yu stood in front of a shelf lined with various sunscreens, lost in thought. Should he stick with the brand he always used, or try something new? The blue bottle had now turned pink—did that mean the formula had changed too? Perhaps it was time to try a completely different brand?

Meanwhile, outside the store, Aether noticed a figure that seemed oddly familiar. He paused, a flicker of recognition flashing across his face, but ultimately dismissed it as a coincidence. With a quiet sigh, he turned and continued on his way.

---

[Rhinedottir's Unusual Experiments]

Rhinedottir was busier than ever. Lately, she'd been working on an outrageous new experiment: turning animals into humans or granting animals human intelligence. Her last experiment had ended in disaster—it was immediately shut down, and she was thrown into solitary confinement as punishment. Determined to avoid the same fate this time, she decided to recruit a collaborator, someone who could assist her and watch her back.

After careful observation, she chose a younger student named Dottore. His daring and unconventional ideas, paired with his expertise in mechanics and biology, intrigued her deeply. Rhinedottir was confident this eccentric loner would leap at the chance to work with her.

She was right. The two immediately hit it off, bonding over their shared disdain for the so-called "ordinary" minds around them. To Rhinedottir, Dottore felt like a kindred spirit. Others might dismiss her as crazy, but Dottore understood her vision. However, their partnership wasn't without its disagreements. For instance, Dottore wanted to fuse biology and machinery, a concept that strayed from Rhinedottir's original intentions. Yet his enthusiasm piqued her curiosity, and since their experiments involved modifying animals, it seemed like an excellent opportunity to gather useful data—and avoid solitary confinement.

The duo soon headed to the Scarlet King's experimental facility. After weeks of research, they actually managed to create something… though the results were unexpected.

Their creation was a mushroom pig—but not just any mushroom pig. Instead of sprouting mushrooms on its back, it grew a cannon. Their goal had been to transform parts of the pig's body into mechanical components. The idea was that the cannon would fire when the pig consumed electro crystals. Unfortunately, while the cannon worked, it had one fatal flaw: the pig died every time it ate an electro crystal. On the bright side, the cannon successfully fired, though the shot veered off-course and struck the Scarlet King, who had been observing their experiment with curiosity.

At first, the Scarlet King praised their ingenuity. But after getting hit, his mood soured. Thankfully, the cannon's power wasn't enough to cause serious harm, but the incident left him less than pleased, and he promptly kicked them out.

The mishap, however, sparked inspiration in the Scarlet King. Using their ideas, he developed a massive handheld cannon that could be mounted onto larger pack beasts. Instead of fully integrating animals and machinery, he opted for a simpler design: a mobile cannon platform.

---

The Consequences

Walking toward the ruins of the solitary confinement chamber, Yu carried two cages in his hands. Inside one was Rhinedottir, as composed as ever. In the other sat a young man with pale blue hair—Dottore.

"In some ways, you're both geniuses," Yu remarked, glancing at the two. "I have to admit, I admire your talents. But genius or not, when you hurt someone, you've crossed a line. Even if the Scarlet King has a tough body, actions have consequences."

Rhinedottir, used to reprimands, sighed and accepted her fate. Dottore, however, was visibly deep in thought, no doubt calculating some way to escape his predicament.

Yu smirked, easily reading the younger man's expression. "Don't bother struggling, kid. You really think you can slip through my fingers?"

With the solitary confinement chamber still under repair, Rhinedottir and Dottore were instead hung up alongside Alice on the Tree.

The massive tree groaned under the weight it was forced to bear. Five hundred years later, it would still stand as a silent witness to this bizarre chapter of history.

---

Fate and the Turning Gears

According to the original trajectory of history, Dottore would eventually be branded a heretic. He would study the Withering Zone, capture villagers for human experimentation, and ultimately flee. But fate began to shift. His collaboration with Rhinedottir and Alice had landed him on the Headmaster's dangerous list—a list reserved for those under close observation.

(Note: I personally doubt Dottore's younger self was exactly the same as Zandik, but it's likely that Zandik was a fragment of Dottore's origins. After all, only someone of Dottore's caliber could control rogue ruin machines. A less-developed Zandik wouldn't have managed that. Since Dottore's real name is unknown, I'll refer to him as Dottore from here on.)

---

Conversations Among Outcasts

Three wooden cages hung side-by-side on the Tree. Thankfully, the sturdy branches of Sumeru's forests were strong enough to bear the weight.

The three prisoners passed the time chatting idly.

"Rhinedottir, did you hear? The Headmaster's planning another academic tour. This time, it's Fontaine," Alice remarked, relieved to finally have company in her misfortune.

"Is that so? I don't feel like going," Rhinedottir replied.

"You don't have a choice. You're the top name on the Headmaster's blacklist. If anyone skips the tour, it won't be you."

Dottore, curious, interjected, "Wait, what's the Headmaster's blacklist?"

"It's a list of students the Headmaster keeps a close eye on," Alice explained cheerfully. "They're not necessarily the best students academically, but they're the most… 'talented' in causing chaos. The Headmaster believes it's better to keep these troublemakers in check rather than let them wreak havoc elsewhere. Whenever there's a tour, they're mandatory participants."

"So… am I on the blacklist?" Dottore asked, frowning.

Alice gave him a knowing look. "You're hanging out with the queen of the blacklist herself. What do you think? Besides, after what you pulled, you're definitely famous now."

Rhinedottir sighed deeply and turned to Alice, her longtime cellmate. "Alice, I think it's time for me to graduate. I'm leaving Sumeru."

"Huh? You're going back to Khaenri'ah?"

"Yes. I've been away from home for far too long. Once I graduate, I plan to focus on alchemy in Khaenri'ah."

"So… this is goodbye?"

"It seems that way."

Dottore, disinterested in their sentimental exchange, remained lost in thought. He wasn't pondering graduation or farewells. Instead, he was preoccupied with a far stranger question: why did this group of supposedly brilliant scholars always manage to make the dumbest decisions?

Though one's nature rarely changes, environments shape us in subtle ways. For Dottore, this environment left its mark. It would be some time before he set his sights on studying the Vision, but he couldn't help wondering: why did those with vast knowledge often have such foolish eyes? Their brilliance seemed to gleam with a curious, inexplicable stupidity.

~~~

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