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Permanence & the connection to Abundance
Over a year ago, Ashikai proposed an incredibly interesting theory related to the Godslayer Protocol: that by combining Tayzzyronth's fragments with Yaoshi, those involved would be able to revive Long and essentially eradicate Yoashi. And frankly, it wasn't a wrong theory to make. The way I see it, Ashikai was right about one thing, even if the Godslayer Protocol became something else altogether, Abundance and Permanence are inextricably connected, and it's incredibly likely that Abundance originally derived from Permanence.
Already, I have connected Leviathans with Long/Permanence in another theory I've written. To put it simply, Leviathans and Long both possess the ability to create life, especially from their bodies once they "breach" upon a planet or other celestial body, like ancient Ahatopia eons ago. Not only that, but with the recent introduction of HSR elements in Hi3, bridging this shared universe, some new Long's Scions have been introduced as "spirit dragons that summon life."
For those interested in this specific angle, I highly recommend this video by Homu Labs that covers the full scope of new Permanence lore introduced in Hi3 and how this may eventually impact HSR's lore, especially for those who don't play Hi3.
That being said, what I want to do is connect Abundance to Permanence, and how the former connects to the latter. Without further ado...
High Elders & the Plaguemarks
One of the earliest facets we see of this theory having some credibility is the fact that High Elders of the Vidyadhara--currently the most prolific and visible of Long's Scions--have been uniquely designated as the only beings within the Xianzhou Alliance capable of not only maintaining, but sealing the Plaguemarks.
In Dan Heng IL's companion quest, The Dragon Returns Home, when Dan Heng, Bailu, and the Trailblazer enter Scalegorge Waterscape with the intention of rounding off the last of DH's karmic debts, when it comes time to properly reforge the seals and seal the Ambrosial Arbor, Dan Heng brings to our attention the fact that a High Elder possesses "the power of life" that can reforge the Arbor's seal.
According to Investigation of Ancient Pattern Rubbings from the Luofu, the Intelligentsia Guild scholar known as Todd Riordan made detailed notes while investigating Scalegorge Waterscape on the nature of the Arbor's seals, and how it's an ancient Vidyadhara technology.
However, I should make note of the use of "technology" here. While we commonly associate it with electrical-based tools like computers and satellites, as an example, the word tends to encompass tools, systems, and methods meant to solve problems, usually with a scientific basis. As HSR is a space fantasy, it goes without saying that a High Elder's Cloudhymn spell counts as a form of Vidyadhara technology.
In Dan Heng IL's first character story, it describes how there is a "maddened and frenzied dragon" in the Ambrosial Arbor, and Dan Shu's NPC dialogue (before the Adventure Mission Venom Brews, Immortality Looms) also speak of a candle dragon below (also known as the Torch Dragon in the CN version).
To those that may not be aware, it's highly implied that the Ambrosial Arbor may be based on this specific bronze sculpture of what experts believe is the Fusang Tree:
Rising 3.96 meters, this is the tallest bronze artifact ever discovered from the ancient world. The tree has three levels of branches, each bearing three clusters of fruit and perching birds — nine birds in total. A sinuous dragon coils down the trunk. Many scholars believe this represents the mythical Fusang Tree (扶桑树) described in the ancient text 'Shan Hai Jing' (Classic of Mountains and Seas), upon which ten suns would rest. The tree was found smashed into over 200 fragments in a sacrificial pit and painstakingly restored over years. One branch remains missing, suggesting the tree may have originally been even taller.
- Sacred Bronze Tree, Chinaheritageguide
This was originally brought to my and many people's attention by Lalody's Lore in her video about Dan Heng and Ren's cultural references, and the museum housing this artifact was featured in a collaboration with Genshin a while ago, which lends a lot of credence to this theory. What's most striking is that, at the bottom, near the roots, in the original sculpture, a dragon coils down the trunk of the Fusang tree. This fits as the Ambrosial Arbor is described as harboring a dragon in its roots not once, but twice.
In the most recent MSQ, So Laughed the Masses, during Arcadia Revisted does a brief exchange with Dan Heng confirms that his Imbibator Lunae form specifically reacts to the Abundance, further cementing the notion that Abundance may have originally derived from Permanence.
Of course, Amphoreus can't be left unconsidered, either.
The Dragons of Amphoreus
Within Voice of Constellation, "Pillar of Stone" Georios, we learn an incredibly intriguing fact: Georios, the Titan of Earth, once surrendered their body to become the cornerstone of life itself. As we know, Georios is far from the only being said to do this.
In Species of the Galaxy: Wubbaboo, it details how the Leviathans once created life in much the same way that Georios was said to: by becoming a seedbed for living organisms to thrive and grow, while its dissipating life force became Astral Spirits. This shares parallels with the Living Flame(s) of Georios that can be found throughout Amphoreus.
As the first Flame (located in Marmoreal Market) tells us, it was forged from a fragment of Georios' Coreflame, this anecdote sounding uncannily close to how Leviathan life forces created Astral Spirits like Wubbaboos; as we all know, Coreflames are effectively the soul of Amphoreus' Titans.
More than that, as some of DHPT's voicelines indicate, he has effectively become an arc for Amphoreus' fauna, but that's not the most incredible thing:
Again, to compare the powers of Abundance and Permanence, between Chapter 4 (part 5) of As I've Written's Amphorean Saga of Heroes and the Overview of Xianzhou's Materia Medica, a shared ability between Georios' power of Permanence and Shuhu, Emanator of Abundance can be observed: one manifested real fauna from a simulation, while the other brought a dead planet back to life. Both mirror the Abundance, yet both come from "different" sources of power.
Conclusion
I think it's important to mention that the origination of a Path doesn't mean that an Aeon will come from the same place. For example, while Propagation split from the Path of Permanence, that doesn't mean Tayzzyronth was a Long's Scion or related to Long before THEY ascended. In this instance, I genuinely don't think Yaoshi was a Long's Scion, either, but I have reason to believe that Abundance also split from the Path of Peramence, as the evidence is very compelling.
Of course, things could change, but I have reason to think we'll be told the truth in time.