My obsession with role-playing seems to have distorted the world's aesthetic.

Chapter 580: The plan to transform Liyue into the shape of Mondstadt was devised by Diluc, the Anemo Archon.

Mondstadt has its own unique circumstances, and governing with idols is Mondstadt's policy. Well, Diluc, I never expected you to have such thoughts.

Ying glanced at Wendy with a complicated expression. It seemed that the bard was unaware of the grand plan he was undertaking.

If the plan succeeds, Liyue will definitely take the shape of Mondstadt. Barbatos' invasion is a rather clever tactic.

This is not a forceful military invasion, nor is it an indirect manipulation of the country through commercial means. This wave is a cultural invasion, directly influencing the fundamental values ​​of the people.

Ying felt she could already see the day when Barbatos's cultural invasion of Liyue would be completed. At that time, the people of Liyue would yearn for the freedom of Mondstadt, and Mondstadt would be happy, with no thought for Liyue.

At this moment, the grand plan gradually unfolded before her, and Ying vaguely seemed to see two musicians from a foreign land performing step by step and gathering fans step by step.

She gradually instilled her own ideas into her fans, until finally shaping their beliefs into the form of Mondstadt. In the midst of it all, she seemed to hear the whispers of those fans.

I'm already in Mondstadt's shape. I'm sorry, Liyue, it's...it's too late to go back.

Seeing the increasingly strange reaction, Ying quickly shook her head, realizing that she seemed to be in great danger.

If I pretend to be familiar with Barbatos, will I get beaten up by Morax, the Geo Archon of Liyue?

And why are you guys so skilled at it? You just randomly picked a street and started bouncing around like that. Sure enough, Barbatos would definitely make meticulous preparations beforehand for a big plan like invading Liyue.

Ying felt that she had now become deeply involved in the game between Barbatos and Morax, and that she had become a piece that had been dropped from the sidelines.

No one can remain uninvolved in this game of chess, oh no...

After a moment of mental conjecture, Ying realized the situation was complicated. Zhongli, somewhat confused about what was going on, looked at Ying and asked, "What is this blonde traveler?"

Her emotions changed so quickly; she seemed quite wary of the red-haired musician.

Zhong Li, who had been inexplicably mistaken for one of the two players on the chessboard, was still somewhat confused about the situation. Looking at Infernal Luke, he said with a hint of helplessness:

"I think I've repeated this many times already, it's all a misunderstanding. I, Diluc, am just an ordinary winery owner, nothing special."

Do you think I could be like Barbatos, the god of wind?

If you want to ask about your brother's whereabouts... the Liyue Summoning Ceremony is about to begin; you could consider trying to ask the Geo Archon then.

Wendy was merely watching, feeling somewhat helpless about the situation, as he had no recollection of the Traveler's brother.

Because of some misunderstandings, the Wind God is now being mistaken for Diluc. If he wants to explain himself, he would need all sorts of proof, which is really too troublesome.

Since that's the case, then let's just not explain it. We can find an opportunity later to tell Lumine what we don't know about this matter, in Diluc's name.

As Wendy thought this to herself, she looked at Diluc, who had spoken not far away, and gave him a somewhat troubled expression.

Oh no, this is terrible! I've really been caught up in the conflict between two gods. This conflict, which isn't a direct confrontation, is even more dangerous than a battle.

When Diluc asks himself this question now, he is mostly implying that he needs to choose a side.

Either I swear allegiance to him, or I swear allegiance to the Geo Archon of Liyue. This is truly a terrible situation.

Although Mondstadt was the first city he traveled to and Diluc was the first god he encountered, he wasn't someone who would make decisions so easily.

Ying didn't mind saying no to someone stronger than herself. After thinking for a moment, Ying said, "I need some time to think about it. I'll take my leave now."

After saying that, Ying turned and left without saying another word.

The current stalemate definitely requires a response. I should find a place to think carefully about how to deal with it.

Does Diluc know the whereabouts of his brother? If he doesn't, what about the Geo Archon of Liyue?

Feeling that staying here would force her to make a choice about her stance, Ying turned and left.

Although his strength at his peak far surpassed that of those gods, provoking a god now would definitely cause trouble.

Hmm... Now that I'm in Liyue, I could try to find the statue of the Geo Archon and get some Geo power from him for free.

In this way, some of his former strength can be restored. Cough cough, wait a minute, this can't be called freeloading. How can you say that you're freeloading a traveler's business? You should say you're borrowing it.

As a traveler who has set foot in many universes, Ying's knowledge is undoubtedly extensive. Recalling a meme she saw in a certain universe, Ying subconsciously sped up.

As Ying quickly left, everyone present was somewhat puzzled, not understanding what she meant. Diluc, with his professionalism, did not rush over to ask her.

The piece I'm currently playing, "Crying to Heaven," is nearing its end. After finishing this piece, I can consider going to the place recommended by that young master for the next performance.

I redeemed this song using some idol points from the newbie gift pack in that so-called strongest idol training system.

Diluc felt no regret about the few Idol Points he had, which weren't even enough to buy the lowest level of buffs. After playing for a while, Diluc could see his Idol Points steadily increasing.

Yes, as expected, you have to give up something before you can gain it, just like how I wanted to have enough power to turn the world upside down and defeat the ultimate life form, Abedo.

In order to obtain that power, he abandoned managing the winery to make money and instead chose to go to Liyue, a country known as the land of trade and contracts, to spread his fame more quickly.

Instead of the meager idol points given in the newbie gift pack, Diluc chose a way to earn more points.

"This...this kind of tune doesn't seem quite right for playing here."

Looking at the scene before her, Xia Qing felt it was a miracle that the two people wearing sunglasses and playing funeral music in front of the Northern Bank hadn't been beaten up.

You should know that the entrance to the Northern Bank is right above this building. On your first day in Liyue, you've already provoked the Fatui. You're something else.

"Indeed, from a universally rational perspective."

Zhong Li nodded in agreement with Xia Qing's words.

Chapter 581: Host, I didn't expect you to have this kind of taste.

The doors of the Northern Bank were opened to the accompaniment of funeral music. Diluc currently only knows one song, "Crying to Heaven," and Venti, having guessed Diluc's musical style, chose a similar one to match.

There are quite a few funeral tunes in Liyue. After buying the erhu, Venti quickly found a piece of music that worked well with Diluc.

"Who, who?!"

The North China Bank employee was stunned when he saw the two people playing the suona on the left and the erhu on the right by the door. What was going on?

"Where is the young master located now?"

Wendy quickly began playing the erhu, which he hadn't been learning for very long, with an extremely professional posture, while Diluc's suona, which had just taken a deep breath at the door, blared loudly and piercingly.

The Mondstadt duo, dressed in sunglasses and looking every bit like gangsters, caught the Northland Bank employee off guard for a moment, but he quickly recovered.

"I see. If I'm not mistaken, you two must be very famous..."

Looking at the two people in front of her, she subconsciously said "waiter" but suddenly stopped. Seeing the somewhat embarrassed waiter, Wendy Diluc, wearing sunglasses, kept playing his funeral dirge.

After thinking for a while, the waiter suddenly remembered the name: "You two are the famous 'Sword on a String' and..."

The waiter was taken aback when he saw the two people in front of him. The only person the young master had previously arranged to meet was the one with the sword on the string, and he had heard that the other person also liked to hide swords in musical instruments.

Looking at the waiter in front of him who couldn't think of a good piece of music, Diluc felt embarrassed for him. "Sword on the String"... was that a nickname he gave himself... no, it should be Wendy's nickname?

The suona needs to be played, while the erhu is more in line with this name.

This kind of terminology seems to be a well-known custom in Liyue. There seems to be a special group in Liyue... I think it's called the martial arts world or the Jianghu?

After finishing his piece, Diluc remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Well, String Blade is the name of the person next to me, and we are...we are...a band."

Halfway through his speech, Diluc suddenly couldn't think of a good name, so he just came up with one randomly, and the waiter who heard this nodded.

"I see. You must be the band. Young Master told me about you before. This time, we're asking you two to perform for him."

After saying that, the clerk took out a photo from the counter. Although photo booths are rare, the Northern Bank still had one.

Hmm, it seems these two are the professionals the young master has brought here, the infamous assassins in the dark underworld of Liyue, the String Sword.

It must be true; there's a rumor that the String Sword always plays funeral music for its enemies before it's used.

"I understand."

Diluc nodded. Performance, well, judging from that word, it's probably true.

Without a doubt, the person in the photo is the young master's friend, the businessman who wanted him to see his performance.

"The two of you should keep yourselves out of sight during the operation. Be discreet, especially since... this is a surprise prepared for the Executive Officer."

Looking at the two people in front of him, the waiter smiled and spoke slowly. Diluc nodded; he wasn't someone who didn't understand social etiquette.

Since Diluc and Wendy had nothing to do, and were feeling bored, they decided to play a song for the merchant.

After asking the waiter for another map, the two left the Northern Bank. Seeing Diluc, Wendy, Xia Qing, and Zhong Li emerge, they also had no intention of leaving.

Zhongli looked at his old friend and Diluc, ready to see what they were up to today. In the end, the four of them walked together to the place where the merchant was located, as shown on the map.

Half an hour later, funeral music began to play from a commercial street somewhere in Liyue. Four men wearing sunglasses stood on the street, bathed in the afternoon light.

Wendy's strumming was like a sudden storm, her fingers creating a myriad of illusory images on the erhu strings. Diluc's steady and measured breaths from the suona mouth complemented Wendy's stormy string sounds.

At this moment, Zhongli Xiaqing played the zither and the flute, respectively. Compared with the former, the performance of the two made people feel more peaceful and distant. Diluc and Wendy's performance was even more captivating when they were complemented by the two.

Xia Qing, who had acquired the highest-level flute playing skills from the Foam Space Database, was initially a bit rusty, but she quickly caught up with Zhong Li's deliberately close-up rhythm.

At this moment, Xia Qing breathed a sigh of relief. As expected of the Rock King Emperor.

It seems that Zhongli's understanding of the xiao (vertical bamboo flute) is not weak either. Under the premise of deliberately matching the rhythm, his own xiao playing skills have improved significantly.

Wait, something's not right, something's very wrong.

Why do the words I just casually thought of feel so strange? Playing the flute... Why did I even think of that? It's so easy to get the wrong idea.

Even if you try to understand it in a twisted way, it's pointless to learn this. Are you going to flatter the system? The system doesn't even have that function.

"Host, I didn't expect you to have this kind of taste, huh... "

Before the system could finish speaking, Xia Qing interrupted it: "Wait a minute, my mind and actions are as clear as a mirror, I haven't thought of anything wrong, don't try to guide my thoughts with your words."

While Xia Qing was communicating with the system, Zhong Li noticed his problem: the traveler named Xi seemed to be in turmoil.

His flute playing rhythm became a little unsteady. Wait, judging from the change in expression and rhythm, this unsteadiness seems to be due to embarrassment.

Could it be that there's someone he knows around?

Xia Qing, whose rhythm had become a bit off, quickly adjusted her mood. The flute seemed like a good choice. She would ask Wendy to go to Dihua Island to practice playing the flute another day.

I'm not playing the flute anymore; I'm going to become the flutist of Dihua Isle!

Unbeknownst to Wendy, sometimes someone nearby was already preparing to target one of his less-used identities.

In fact, compared to the flute player of Dihuazhou, the title "Gechen Langshi Zhenjun" is more fitting for him.

"Who, who's putting on a show!"

At this moment, a portly businessman's expression changed as he walked down from the small building. The performers, who were wearing sunglasses by Xia Qingfa, all looked up at the businessman who was coming down from the second floor.

However, the four performers wearing sunglasses ignored the wealthy businessman and continued their performance. Just as the businessman was about to come over in anger, Xia Qing lightly stepped on the ground with her right foot.