In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

Dixia's high reputation in the desert is due not only to her involvement in the Grass God incident, but also largely to her own kindness.

After asking a few people for directions, Wang Yan arrived at an inconspicuous little mud house in a corner of Kawan Post Station.

The house is small, but it's very well maintained, and there's not much trash left outside. You can tell the owner is someone who lives a good life.

There were still many children playing outside the house, and the person they were surrounding was Dixia.

Dixia bent slightly, her usually sharp eyes now filled with smiles, patiently distributing candy to each child, occasionally reaching out to ruffle their messy hair.

At this moment, she lacked the imposing presence of a lion with a blazing mane, but Wang Yan felt that she was indeed radiating light.

Chapter 67 Storytelling

Seemingly sensing the arrival of an outsider, Dixia turned her head and saw that it was Wang Yan. Her smile became even brighter.

"Wang Yan, what brings you here?" Dixia greeted them, then introduced him to the children, "This is Brother Wang Yan, my friend, and also a scholar from the Academy of Teachings. He's very capable."

After Dixia introduced Wang Yan to the children, several children immediately rushed over with curiosity, looking up and down at this very impressive scholar with their bright eyes.

The children living in Kavan Post Station actually met quite a few scholars.

Scholars who maintain the sand barriers are stationed here year-round, and scholars who go to the desert for research often come here.

But I've never seen a scholar brother who's both amazing and incredibly handsome, someone that even Sister Dixia would call amazing.

"Scholar brother, will you fight bad guys like Sister Dixia?" a little boy with a missing front tooth asked, looking up.

"Your...your clothes are so clean, there's not a speck of sand!" Another little girl with braids timidly reached out to touch the hem of Wang Yan's robe, then withdrew.

Wang Yan was surrounded by the children and was momentarily at a loss.

Whether before or after his time travel, he was not good at dealing with children.

His attitude towards children is like, 'Let me play with you for a while, and I'll give it back to you if you cry.'

Faced with this straightforward and naive curiosity, Wang Yanning preferred to look at the blueprints and formulas more often.

“I…I’m not very good at fighting, but if you want to hear a story, I might be able to tell you a little…” Wang Yan tried to soften his tone.

Desia watched from the side and couldn't help but chuckle.

She walked over and clapped her hands: "Okay, okay, stop crowding around Brother Wang Yan. He has something to tell me. You guys go play with the beanbag over there first, I'll join you later."

The children were very obedient. Although they were still curious about what stories Wang Yan would tell, they ran off quietly, leaving only a few "Goodbye, scholar brother" messages drifting in the wind.

Dixia turned to Wang Yan, her smile fading slightly: "Why did you suddenly come to see me? Is there something wrong at the post station?"

Wang Yan nodded and briefly recounted what he had heard.

As Dixia listened, her eyes sharpened instantly, losing all gentleness, revealing the majesty of the Lion with its mane.

“I originally intended to inform the caravan leader directly, but I was worried that this was an internal matter of the desert, and outsiders interfering would only cause more trouble, so I came to tell you first,” Wang Yan said at the end.

Dixia patted Wang Yan on the shoulder, her tone serious: "You did the right thing. It's best to leave this kind of thing to the Blazing Beast. Thank you, Wang Yan, this information is very important, I owe you a favor."

Dixia couldn't imagine how she would face Candice and the elders of Aru Village if the goods were stolen.

She glanced toward the warehouse, a cold smile curving her lips: "It seems some people think a lion's fangs are only meant to be shown in the open... Tonight, I'll teach them a lesson they won't forget."

After saying that, Dixia looked at Wang Yan and said, "Since they are planning to attack the warehouse, they will definitely make some noise first. They might even launch a surprise attack on other places. Wang Yan, when you go back to the inn, protect yourself with Senior Falushan. Leave the rest to us."

She wasn't going to ask Wang Yan and Fa Lushan for help.

As Erosanne said, protecting the caravan is the job of the Lightbringer; leave professional matters to professionals.

Wang Yan didn't object, and simply nodded: "Okay, then I'll be going now."

Just as he was about to leave, Dixia stopped him, saying, "Wait a minute, you promised the child you'd tell a story, you have to finish it before you go."

Wang Yan hesitated for a moment, then gave a helpless smile: "Okay."

The coldness in Dixia's eyes had vanished, replaced by a bright smile. She waved to the children not far away: "Come here, listen to a story."

Hearing the shouts, the children rushed over and surrounded Wang Yan.

Wang Yan squatted down and looked at the children beside him: "What kind of story would you like to hear?"

"We want to hear stories of great heroes, just like Sister Dixia!"

"Yes, the story of a great hero like Sister Desia."

Yes, yes.

"The story of a great hero!"

The children chattered amongst themselves, but their words were all in unison, indicating that they all genuinely liked Dixia.

Dixia watched from the side, smiling brightly.

She feels embarrassed and ashamed when adults praise her, but she is happy when children admire her.

“Great hero… Hey, shall I tell you the story of the traveler saving the dragon in Mondstadt?” Wang Yan said with a smile.

"Oh, I know the Traveler! Like Sister Desia, he's a great hero too!"

"Great, we want to hear it."

"Wow, a giant dragon... isn't it huge?"

The children looked at Wang Yan with longing eyes.

Wang Yan sat down directly on the ground, not caring that sand stained his clothes: "The story begins in the land of the wind..."

"That was Mondstadt, the free city blessed by Barbatos, the god of wind. It should have been a city of dandelions and pastoral idylls, but in that year, the sky was shrouded in the shadows of dark dragons and endless hurricanes."

"A colossal azure dragon tore through the sky, its eyes burning with dark red fury, spewing corrosive venomous blood from its throat."

"It was once the legendary, elegant and noble 'Eastern Wind Dragon,' but through the machinations of villains, it transformed into the 'Wind Demon Dragon,' feared by all..."

Because it was a story for children, Wang Yan replaced the abyss in the story with a villain.

After all, in a child's worldview, "bad guy" is a very obvious term, while the concept of "abyss" is vague.

Wang Yan slowly recounted the story, from the Traveler's arrival in Mondstadt, making friends, to how the Traveler and his friends defeated Stormterror, then helped purify Mondstadt from its pollution, transforming Stormterror back into the benevolent Wind Dragon. Of course, he omitted Venti's identity and the unspeakable details such as stealing the Sky Harp.

He originally intended to tell a fictional story about Dvalin falling in love with the teenage idol Barbara, and in his anger at not being able to win her heart, he wanted to destroy Mondstadt. Fortunately, through the introduction of a foreign traveler, he met the famous bard Vendi, and in the end, Dvalin and Vendi lived happily ever after.

However, considering that the children are still young and it is not good for them to be exposed to history too early, we told them the original story.

Wow, the traveler is amazing!

"Poor Dvalin, those bad guys are really awful."

"Thank goodness there are travelers, so Mondstadt and Dvalin don't have to hurt each other."

After hearing the story, the children shared their opinions.

After the children finished talking all at once, Dixia said, "Alright, the story is over. Brother Wang Yan has something to do, let's see him off."

Although they wanted to hear more stories, the children were very understanding and reluctantly saw Wang Yan off.

"Brother, will you come again tomorrow?"

"Brother, can I tell this story to my friend?"

"Brother, you know so much, you're so amazing."

For a moment, Wang Yan felt that the world had become a little more beautiful.

"I'll come when I have time."

"Of course, stories are meant to be told to others."

"You must study hard, and when you grow up, you will be even better than me."

As he talked to the children, he walked out, and finally, with the children waving goodbye, Wang Yan left.

Chapter 68 The Weight of Knowledge Brings Peace of Mind

Back at the inn, the warmth in Wang Yan's heart slowly faded.

Before his transmigration, Wang Yan's fondness for human cubs had long been worn away by the endless stream of videos of mischievous children on the internet.

But today, in just the time it takes to tell a story, these children from the desert have warmed Wang Yan's heart once again.

I don't know if it's the desert child's innate optimism or Dixia's excellent teaching.

These children are polite and keep praising you; they are so sensible that it breaks your heart.

"story…"

Wang Yan pondered silently.

As an epistemologist, his first project was toothpaste, which is basically unrelated to epistemology.

The second project was originally cement, which was also closer to the theory of subtlety, but when he mentioned it to Falushan, she told him that someone had already been researching it.

In the square above Tianbi Pool, some vendors have already started selling their wares.

Therefore, the second project was aborted.

“Perhaps my first epistemological project could be a gift for children,” Wang Yan’s eyes flashed. “I could write a fairy tale book.”

The spirit is either on the ground or in the sky.

As an intellectual scholar, it is perfectly reasonable for him to write a book of fairy tales for children.

Having formed an idea, Wang Yan did not immediately take action. There was no time to lose; writing a fairy tale was clearly not the most urgent task at hand.

He arrived at Estelle's door and knocked gently.

"Mentor, it's me."

The door was opened, and Wang Yan saw a cyan cube floating beside Falushan.

"This... Mentor, why did you bring out the He Yao multifaceted body?" Wang Yan asked curiously.

As a student of Falushan, Wang Yan had naturally come into contact with the Heyao Multifaceted Dimension before him. It was a truly extraordinary device, possessing the ability to drive wind elements to attack enemies and buff allies.

In the game, it is also thanks to the multifaceted buffs of Hercules that Erossan has maintained her position as the top support.

Eros glanced at Wang Yan, let him in, and then said, "Since the foolish apprentice needs protection, you can rest in my room first."

"Hmm? Mentor, do you also think those people will attack the inn?" Wang Yan asked subconsciously.

Eros looked at him: "Shouldn't you first refute that you're not a stupid apprentice?"

"what?"

Wang Yan was stunned for a moment before he realized that Falushan had just scolded him.

"Hmph, even the most unreliable gilded guild in the desert uses feints to their advantage." Erosham sneered. "The inns are where the most important people gather in the entire Kavan Post Station. Scholars and wealthy merchants rest here."

"The best way for those people to attack the warehouse is to first create something in the inn to lure the guards on the other side of the warehouse to come and reinforce."

“Dishia isn’t in the warehouse. We need to move some of the guards so they can make their move.”

Then, Erosanne added, "You just said 'also,' so it seems that the Lion with the Mane also thinks so?"

Wang Yan nodded: "That's right, Dixia told us to protect ourselves."

"So, what are you thinking? Do you want to stay in your room, or do you want to go out and have a look?" Erosanne asked playfully.

"Huh?" Wang Yan's eyes widened. "What do you mean, mentor?"

What do you mean by "go out and take a look"? Didn't I tell you to stay in the room?

Erosham smiled and said, "I've heard that when a child has a hammer, they'll want to hammer something... You designed and assembled this hand crossbow yourself and even engraved elemental runes on it. Don't you want to test it out? You haven't encountered any monsters along the way. You must be disappointed!"

Wang Yan's expression was somewhat strange, but he did not refute Falushan's words.

Because she is right.

Just like a child holding a hammer, Wang Yan really wanted to test his hand crossbow.

However, in the past month, the caravan has not encountered a single monster attack, perhaps due to the intimidating aura of Dixia or the large number of people in the caravan.

Now that Erosan has said that, Wang Yan is actually starting to want to go out and see the world.

“But…mentor, there’s the safety issue…” Wang Yan hesitated.

Eros pursed her lips: "Don't worry, I'll be watching. I've been teaching you academic things, and since we've run into each other today, I'll let you see some blood."

Wang Yan glared: "Does our school of thought even teach combat?"