He changed Tiwat

Mona muttered to herself with a hint of self-abandonment, glancing at Han Fulai beside her, then at Yingmei, who was still obliviously playing with Paimon in the distance. From the moment she encountered these two visitors from another world, her fate had definitely taken an unknown turn.

"I want to know the truth!" Mona declared loudly.

Chapter Forty-Eight: False Star, False Moon

"I believe that Lord Barbatos, your appearance at this moment is actually because you are prepared to tell the truth."

Han Fulai made a gesture in the air, "This area is now within your barrier range, since we can't even hear the sound of the waves anymore."

When Wendy appeared, both the sound of the waves and the sound of the wind suddenly disappeared. Moreover, he clearly played a piece of music when he appeared, but the music failed to attract the attention of Luminous and Paimon, indicating that a barrier had been set up to isolate the inside from the outside.

That said, his ability to casually set up a barrier without making a sound, and his ability to hide in the wind and follow the group all the way to Musk Reef, all prove that when the lady ripped out his heart, he definitely held back—no, he let the whole sea go…

Although Venti always refers to himself as a "weak god" in the storyline that Han Fulai knows, it depends on who he is compared to—when fighting against the Liyue Valkyries, who are also among the Seven Rulers, Venti saying he is "weak" is not exactly a lie...

"Hehe, you figured it out again." Wendy chuckled and strummed a string, gesturing towards Paimon with her chin. "After all, there are some things you shouldn't let them hear."

He looked up at the full moon in the sky: "Right now, in their eyes, you two are sitting side by side on the hillside watching the moon~ Ah, in Liyue, this is called 'flowers and moonlight', right?"

"Hey!" Mona stomped her foot in anger. Heaven knows how Paimon and Ying will make fun of her again.

Han Fulai didn't seem to care about Wendy's quirky joke. He followed Wendy's gaze and looked up at the sky: "Then... how about we start with the moon?"

“There’s something very strange. I noticed it before, but I never paid attention to it. I just thought that Teyvat was just that special… But combined with what Miss Mona told me recently, the meteorite incident, and the skirmisher’s words, ‘The starry sky is a lie,’ I’ve realized that the starry sky is indeed an illusion. Maybe even the moon is fake.”

Wendy still had a smile on her face, while Mona's eyes widened: "...Even the moon is fake?"

“Hmm.” Han Fulai nodded. “Miss Mona, you are from this world, so it may be difficult for you to notice—the moon in Teyvat is always a ‘full moon’.”

"Is there... a problem?" Mona asked, puzzled.

For the Teyvats today, the moon has always been a full moon, and it has been so since their birth.

“In my previous world, the moon wasn’t always full. In my previous world, although the moon also revolved around my planet and rose in the east and set in the west like here, it had lunar phases, the so-called ‘waxing and waning’,” Han Fulai said. “Miss Mona once said that Teyvat is actually round, a planet in the universe, right?”

“Of course,” Mona nodded. “That’s how we explain the changes of day and night, seasonal changes, ocean currents, and so on.”

"This leads to a question: the moon rises in the east and sets in the west because it revolves around the planet Teyvat, but what about the sun? Does the sun also revolve around the continent of Teyvat?"

Han Fulai raised his finger and pointed to the sky.

"In my previous world, the moon was supposed to have phases of waxing and waning, which was caused by the constant movement of the moon, the sun, and our own planet in the universe."

"When the moon moves between the sun and our planet, it rises and sets with the sun. At this time, we cannot see the moon at night, which is called the 'new moon'. Then, the moon moves to the side of the sun and our planet, and at night it will be partially illuminated by the sun, which is called the 'waning moon'. When the moon moves to the far side of our planet, that is, when our planet is between the sun and the moon, we see the 'full moon'."

"If we keep seeing a full moon, it only means that the relative positions of the moon and Teyvat have never moved... In other words, Teyvat is the center of this celestial system, and all the stars revolve around it, including the sun?"

Although this pattern of motion is a bit abstract, Mona, as an astrologer, can understand it immediately.

Mona frowned: "But... there's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

In Teyvat, a continent without a heliocentric model, it doesn't seem wrong that Teyvat is the center of the universe.

Leaving aside astrophysics on Earth, if we assume Teyvat is the center of this celestial system, and the sun is about the same size as the moon, revolving around Teyvat, it's not entirely unacceptable.

It's nighttime in Mondstadt now, but perhaps somewhere behind Teyvat it's daytime; it's just that it's an unexplored area, so no one knows what's going on there. Including the "Dark Sea," there are many other areas beyond human comprehension.

Seasonal changes can be seen as the sun and Teyvat orbiting each other in an elliptical path rather than a circular one, with varying distances, resulting in different amounts of sunlight and heat received.

As for the relationship between gravity and the mass of celestial bodies, physics on the continent of Teyvat has not yet developed to that stage, so you don't have to delve into it. After all, this is a very magical world.

However, there are still unavoidable contradictions.

“What about the stars?” Han Fulai moved his finger, pointing from the moon to the brilliant Milky Way in the sky. “Do they also revolve around Teyvat? If so, how big must they be? How far away must they be from Teyvat? Is the meteorite we touched before—Leonard’s destiny star—the same thing as the stars we see in the sky now?”

Han Fulai stretched out his arms and made a hugging gesture.

"...Most importantly, are stars really things that can be summoned at will? Or is the entire universe just this small?"

Mona pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "That's the question I wanted to ask too."

Yes, that's the key issue.

Since the destruction of ancient civilizations, the continent of Teyvat has not seen any "meteorites" for thousands of years. The word "meteor" exists only in records and has become a figure of speech used only by bards—the fall of stars is almost unimaginable.

That meteorite was undoubtedly Leonard's destiny star. Her divination, the spirit of Leonard that they had sensed from it before, and the "Constellation of Destiny" that had disappeared from the star chart all proved this.

Even if you put all the meteorite fragments together and account for the mass it lost due to friction in the atmosphere during its descent... it would still only be about the size of a house. To put it more grandly, even if it were as big as the Jade Pavilion in Liyue, compared to the sun and moon, it's still far too small...

Ignoring why those stars shine like the sun, let's assume it's due to elemental forces—theoretically, those stars should be luminous bodies very far away from Teyvat, and because they are so far away, they appear so small.

Only in this way can it be called the vastness of the universe.

If Teyvat is a star in the universe, even if it's the center of the universe and everything revolves around it—were the stars she observed every night really that small? Were they so close that a god could pluck them from the sky? Was the brilliant starry sky above actually just a bunch of house-sized rocks suspended in the air?

Is the entire universe really only this small?

This is a universe that only includes Teyvat, the Sun, the Moon, and those tiny stars that are very close together.

Or is the universe just a room, with the sun and moon as giant chandeliers that take turns being turned on, and the stars as decorative lamps?

Han Fulai and Mona both looked at Wendy.

Wendy, still wearing that same smiling face, repeated the words the deserters had uttered as they left: 'The starry sky itself is a giant lie.'

Chapter 49 Fate is not predetermined

Wendy gazed quietly at the sky: "This sky is an illusion. The sky is just a giant curtain, and the stars are merely scenery on that curtain. Behind the curtain is not the universe, but... an 'eggshell'."

He sang two lines as if reciting a ballad—the two lines spoken by Abedo, the chief alchemist of the Knights of Favonius and captain of the investigation squad: 'The universe—is an inverted heaven. The earth—is a dream forgotten even by time.'

"So...that's really how it is..."

Mona suddenly lost her balance and staggered backward, but Han Fulai reacted quickly and caught her in time.

"Then what is the meaning of astrology...?" Mona murmured to herself.

From the moment she heard the news of the meteorite impact, Mona had a vague premonition, and she began to consider this possibility when the skirmisher told her that the starry sky was a lie. Han Fulai's questions about the sun, moon, and stars, as well as Wendy's repeated statement, were all helping her confirm this truth she had already sensed.

Even though she had prepared herself mentally, the shock of actually hearing a deity confirm this fact to her was still somewhat unbearable.

The skirmisher was, after all, an executor of the Fools, and Mona still had to question what he said. Mona had previously held onto a sliver of hope, but Barbatos, the true god, had personally shattered that last bit of hope.

This is tantamount to telling Mona, the genius astrologer, that the study of astrology is meaningless, and that you are merely interpreting lies woven by the gods.

The problem isn't just a cloud hanging over the edifice of astrology anymore; it's that the edifice of astrology never existed at all... Astrologers, who have tirelessly pursued the truth, have found their research leading to a colossal lie—how ironic!

Han Fulai could understand Mona's feelings at this moment. Scientists on Earth had encountered this far too many times, and it was well-documented throughout history.

Take 16th-century scientists, for example. At that time, people had not yet discovered the existence of "oxygen." Their explanation for the phenomenon of "combustion" was that "fire is an entity composed of countless tiny fire particles called 'phlogiston.'" In the Teyvat version, "combustion" was caused by the presence of "fire element" in the air.

Scientists at the time used this "fire element" theory to solve many problems related to natural phenomena, and they also applied it to explain scientific issues using various "elements". For example, when people asked scientists, "Why does matter have weight?", scientists would tell them, "Matter contains 'heavy element'"—just as the Teyvat people explained that rocks are so solid because they contain rock element.

In any case, with the concept of "elemental force," anything can be forcibly explained, much like the current saying, "When in doubt, consult quantum mechanics."

As a modern-day transmigrator, Han Fulai was able to quickly adapt to life on the continent of Teyvat, mainly thanks to this self-consistent logic—elemental power, divine power, celestial power, willpower… anyway, these are all things our ancestors have already figured out. Why should a liberal arts student like him understand them so clearly? As long as either a program or a programmer can run, that's enough. If he can't win, he can just join…

Unfortunately, on the continent of Teyvat, astrology is actually a legitimate academic discipline that studies astrophysics. Although Mona may seem eccentric, she is indeed a science student...

For Mona, this was nothing short of encountering a "mental demon".

Wendy sighed helplessly, tugging at his hat: "...Sigh, that's why I just reminded her to be careful of 'cause and effect' and the consequences. Barbie Ross was just as young and reckless as her when she joined the 'Witches' Guild'..."

Wendy recounted a story from the past:

The Witches' Guild is an ancient women's society on the continent of Teyvat, with members from all corners of the world. Each member is designated by a letter, making it one of the oldest secret societies in the world. The guild's meeting place is in Mondstadt, where the elder member "A," Klee's mother Iris, resides.

At that time, the laws of nature had not yet fallen asleep. As a civil servant of Sky Isle, Barbatos could not sit idly by while there was a "dynamic civil society organization" that was not under his jurisdiction but was very capable of causing trouble and would change the terrain of Mondstadt at any time. So he stepped forward and suggested that they find another auspicious place to carry out their activities, such as the neighboring Liyue.

But the witches knew to pick on the weak, and moving was out of the question, so they challenged Barbatos, the wind god, together—a physical challenge, the kind where eight of them had to fight one Barbatos.

These eight great witches, besides Alice and Barbiros, also include the "Golden" Rhinedoth of Canria, whose fighting power is extremely formidable...

As is well known, Barbatos was not very good at fighting, so he proposed to resolve the conflict through poetry rather than weapons.

In the contest of reciting poetry, the bard was undoubtedly the victor.

From then on, witches held their meetings only in the forest, on the cliff edge, and in the sky. They brought their stories and secrets to the tea parties to resolve conflicts and to tell their troubles to the wind.

The members use a lantern as a token, entrusting it to the wind god Barbatos for safekeeping. When the lantern is lit, it marks the start of the witches' tea party.

—At least officially, the Witch's Council has become the "Mondstadt Residents' Forum," with the civil servant Barbatos serving as its host. As a new phenomenon emerging during the development of democratic politics in Mondstadt, the Witch's Council aims to facilitate the expression of public opinion, broaden the channels for public participation in politics, and improve the level of grassroots governance in Mondstadt. It is an innovative mechanism for expanding grassroots democracy.

Anyway, that's what Barbatos reported to Skye.

In short, this relaxed and enjoyable tea party has been passed down through generations.

The secrets exchanged at the witches' tea party... certainly included "The False Heaven".

As the successor to Barbiros, Mona wants to inherit her master's title and join the Witches' Guild, so she naturally needs to possess strength equal to Barbiros's—knowledge is also a form of power.

"...So Master, no, the old woman knew about the 'False Heaven' all along! I can't let her laugh at me!"

Mona suddenly perked up again.

The "False Heaven" certainly had a great impact on Mona, but what sustained Mona's heart was her indomitable spirit—she was determined to surpass that old woman's genius!

The old woman knew the sky was an illusion, yet she still developed "water divination" and persisted in pursuing truth through astrology; there must be a reason for this.

And the significance of this is probably for...

Han Fulai then spoke up: "Miss Mona, I think the reason your master sent you to Mondstadt to seek the truth is this—she hopes that after you understand the truth, you can embark on a path to change your destiny. Perhaps she wants to tell you that fate is not predetermined."

Chapter 50 The Truman Show

"That falling meteorite reminded me of a movie I watched before... uh, something from my world. In Fontaineble, it's called 'Shadow,' a kind of theatrical story similar to our Liyue paper shadow play." Han Fulai only remembered halfway through his speech that in this world, the movie was still waiting for the Fontaineble scientist Xavier to invent it, so he quickly explained.

Although Wendy didn't know what he meant by "movie," she was clearly very interested: "Hmm, what kind of story is it?"

“The story is called The Truman Show,” Han Fulai replied.

“Turman… 'ture man', a real person?” Wendy immediately understood the meaning behind the name.

"That's right, it's a story about the pursuit of 'truth'. The protagonist, Truman, lives in a virtual world, and one day he discovers that his life is fake and wants to find the truth."

Han Fulai began to tell Wendy and Mona the story.

"Truman has lived in a small town called Seahaven Island since he was a child, but this town is actually a huge theater. Truman seems to be living the same life as ordinary people, going to school, working, getting married... But he doesn't know that thousands of cameras are pointing at him every second of his life, that the whole world is watching him every moment, and that everyone around him, including his wife and friends, is an actor in 'The Truman Show'."

“He was adopted by a theater owner at birth and became a theater employee. His life was a drama in the eyes of the audience. He had no privacy, and everything he did was filmed and recorded... just like the earth’s veins.”

"There is a fake sky, a fake sun, moon and stars in the theater. He is not allowed to climb mountains or cross the sea, because that would mean touching the theater's walls, the shell of this fake world... The theater owner lives in a huge control room in the sky, and he will direct the actors to prevent Truman from discovering the truth... It's like 'Pointed Peak' was thrown into the sea."

"His life as a human being was like that of the gladiators in Mondstadt's history who were confined to the arena, or even worse... He was simply kept in the theater by the theater owner—a man who was both a father and a god to him—to provide entertainment for the audience."

"Everything in his life was scripted. His experiences, his thoughts, and his feelings were almost all guided by others. He didn't even have the right to decide his own life or death. For him, everything was 'predestined'."

Han Fu paused slightly at this point, because he remembered what Zhongli had told him in "The Salt of the Earth"—"A ruler like the Prime Minister is simply keeping his people in captivity."

He had doubted it many times.

After Zhongli said these words to him.

After meeting Daines Reeb in the Abyss of the Rocky Mountains.

After discovering that Liyue and Inatsuki were connected to the cultural heritage of his world.

After discovering various abnormal and distorted developments in civilization and technology in this world...

He has always suspected that there might be a "screenwriter" behind this world.

This "missing star" incident undoubtedly confirms his conjecture...

“One day, Truman was walking down the street when suddenly, the chandelier that was hidden in the sunlight on the theater's dome, which should have been like stars at night, fell down… Truman saw the theater's sign on the chandelier… From that moment on, he began to doubt the world he lived in.” Han Fulai looked at Wendy.

Wendy nodded with a grin.

Although Wendy had never seen the movie, his real intention in creating the meteor shower was to make people see the "chandelier falling from the studio dome".

"So what happened to Truman in the end?" Wendy asked.

Han Fulai replied, "He found the theater owner in the sky, gave up everything as a big star in the theater, left the world of Peach Blossom Island, and became a real human being with a self."

“It’s a good story,” Wendy said.

Mona listened to the story in silence.

For astrologers, the concept of "preordained destiny" is the foundation of the entire discipline and the cornerstone of everything.

Even though Mona's rebellious spirit far outweighs her wealth and she lacks sufficient reverence for "fate," especially "misfortune," she would have instinctively retorted if Han Fulai had told her five minutes earlier that "destiny is not predetermined."

This is similar to the statement to Han Fu that "studying Chinese literature won't lead to a bright future." Even if Han Fu could foresee that he would eventually have to switch to coding, he would still loudly refute such a statement.

But now, faced with this false sky, Mona has no way to refute it.

Not only could she not refute it, she even completely agreed with Han Fulai's statement.

Because this sky was created by humans.