He changed Tiwat

Then the child tossed the red ball in his hand high into the air.

Across from him, several children of similar age were jumping and scrambling for the ball, bumping into many pedestrians along the way. However, those who were bumped into didn't seem to mind; during the "Badminton Festival," it's common for children to toss and catch shuttlecocks in the street.

On the last day of the festival, the adults present will probably have to jump up and grab the ball just like the children.

These children are practicing catching a shuttlecock (Harpastum).

Because of Riise's constant chatter, Han Fulai gained a better understanding of the "Badminton Festival".

Since the name "Badminton Festival" (Ludi Harpastum) contains the word "badminton," it naturally refers to the event itself, which involves playing badminton.

The so-called "badminton" is not actually a "badminton shuttlecock"—although that shuttlecock does contain feathers.

A "badminton shuttlecock" is actually just a ball about the size of a volleyball, stuffed with feathers.

Festival celebrations inevitably include competitions that allow for broad public participation. Just as the Lantern Festival features activities like "making lanterns" and "solving lantern riddles," the Badminton Festival also has similar events.

The Mondstadt Badminton Festival has three traditional events: "Poetry Recitation", "Beverage Contest", and "Flying Champion" – yes, Amber's three-time consecutive "Mondstadt Flying Champion" title comes from the "Badminton Festival".

Legend has it that in the beginning of time, the wind god Barbatos blew away the ice and snow, split the mountains, and scattered grains, allowing his people to escape wandering and settle down. Barbatos then threw feathers, symbols of freedom, onto this land, and the place where the feathers were thrown is now the city of Mondstadt.

The wind god also imparted his wisdom to the people of Mondstadt: brewing fine wine, building windmills, singing poetry… He established numerous celebrations and festivals, hoping that joy would sustain them through their long, arduous labors. After everything had settled, the wind god, carrying his lyre, wandered into the wilderness, leaving behind only enduring legends that have lasted for millennia…

In honor of Barbatos, all three events of the "Badminton Festival" are derived from the legend of the wind god.

Poetry and wine are symbols of Mondstadt and Barbatos, and flight is Barbatos' specialty—even the "Wind Wings" are believed to have been invented by the wind god, who was skilled in flight, after the name of the adventurer Leonard was buried in the dust of history.

Mondstadt Cathedral is the highest point in Mondstadt, and the starting point for the flying competition held during the "Badminton Festival" is set at the top of the cathedral's tower. Height symbolizes closer proximity to the sky and the wind, closer proximity to the wind god of Mondstadt.

The dish "Stacking High," the game "Stacking High," and the competition "Flying High" all embody the Mondstadt people's reverence and yearning for the sky, the wind, and freedom.

Just as there are five "Montde Wine Kings", there is actually a fourth competition after the three traditional competitions of the "Badminton Festival" - the shuttlecock snatching competition.

After a lively poetry recital, banquet, and flying competition, the overall champions of the three events will choose a young girl to be the "princess" of the celebration.

At the height of the celebration, the "princess" will climb onto the statue of the wind god built in the high square, stand in the palm of Lord Barbatos, and throw a shuttlecock, symbolizing the blessing of the wind god, into the crowd. The first person to catch the shuttlecock will receive a generous prize and a year of good luck.

Obviously, both adults and children want to have good luck and win prizes this year, so naturally they need to practice "high jump".

After experiencing various unexpected events during his trip to the snow mountain... especially after meeting Bennett, Han Fulai realized the importance of "luck" even more.

Although he knew the saying "luck can't save you from bad luck, and spending money won't change your fate," it's still customary to say a few auspicious words during festivals in Liyue, right? Who doesn't want to have good luck? Anyway, he's here as a tourist, so he should follow local customs. Participating in the celebration and grabbing a badminton shuttlecock isn't unreasonable, right? What if good luck really does come his way?

As Han Fulai pondered this, he walked toward the library.

At the same time, Yura was sitting in the office of the Knights Commander.

After reporting what happened in the snow mountain to Qin, she earnestly expressed her desire to relinquish her guard duties... Of course, her reason to Qin was that Vice Minister Han did not trust her and asked Qin to find a more suitable person to serve as her guard.

Yura was prepared to have a fight with Qin. Normally, Qin wouldn't agree to her suggestion to change the candidate before the mission was over... But to her surprise, Qin readily agreed that there was indeed a more important mission assigned to her.

Moreover, Qin's expression was very serious when she spoke, which made Yura take it seriously.

"With the 'Badminton Festival' underway and you just returning from your long journey, I should give you a break... but the safety of Mondstadt must be our top priority. To make a long story short, the Knights have a rather special matter to ask of you. I recently received a report from the intelligence department that the Lawrence family has close ties with the Fools."

When it comes to the Knights' intelligence department, that's naturally Kaiya. Just thinking about Kaiya filled Yura with rage, but she knew now wasn't the time for "revenge." The fact that Jean was discussing the Lawrence family so seriously with her clearly indicated that her family members wanted "revenge" against the Knights again.

"So what? Why did you specifically tell me that?" Yura crossed her arms, her tone unfriendly.

According to the Knights' regulations, she should have avoided suspicion in this situation, and for Jean to tell her these things was actually against the rules.

“I want to entrust this investigation to you, Yura,” Qin said earnestly.

Yura stared at Qin, who simply looked back at her without wavering.

"Why should I have it?" Yura asked.

Qin pushed an envelope off the table; it was an envelope bearing the Lawrence family crest, the "Ice Seal."

"Because the person I want you to investigate is your uncle, Schubert Lawrence. He also sent you a letter."

That's enough to say.

The Lawrence family member who had close ties with the Fools was her own uncle, and he had even sent her a letter—the Knights could easily take this letter as evidence that Yura was a "mole" sent by the Lawrence family into the Knights.

Given Kaiya's style, once he intercepts this letter, he'll probably immediately suggest isolating and investigating her.

It was clear that Qin had suppressed the matter and was preparing to give her a chance.

Qin entrusted this matter to Yura so that she could personally clear her name.

As for why Qin trusted her so much... well, well, the two most outstanding young swordsmen of this generation of knights are actually good friends who became acquainted through conflict...

Yura put the letter away and pursed her lips.

"I'll remember this grudge."

Chapter 156 The Golden Hyperion

Shortly after Yura left, the door to the commander's office was pushed open once again.

Kaya and Lisa entered the office one after the other. It wouldn't be unusual for either of them to visit Qin's office alone, but their joint visit could only mean that something big was about to happen—after all, with Grand Master Falga gone, these three were the "top three" of the Knights Order.

"Yura agreed?" Kaya asked.

Qin nodded.

Kaiya breathed a sigh of relief: "Phew...that's good. I wasn't confident I could convince her this time..."

"I'd really like to see which of our cavalry captain and the Wave Knight is more skilled in swordsmanship."

Jean rolled her eyes at Kaiya, a rare occurrence for her—if you were to appear before Yura right now, it wouldn't be a question of whether you could persuade her, but rather how long you'd be lying in the hospital…

Although she knew that Kaeya did everything for Mondstadt, the upright Jean could not possibly appreciate Kaeya's style of coaxing and deceiving his colleagues while also having a half-amusement mentality.

Kaiya smirked, "Hahaha...please spare me."

Lisa clapped her hands, bringing the topic back on track: "So what exactly is the purpose of the Fools joining forces with the Lawrence family this time?"

Kaiya shrugged and laughed, "If I knew, I wouldn't have needed to ask Yura to investigate, would I?"

Lisa glanced at Kaiya sideways, as if to say, "You can fool others, but you're not quite there to fool me, little Kaiya."

“If we don’t need evidence and are just speculating…” Kaeya shrugged, “it should be the power that the Lawrence family relied on to rule Mondstadt a thousand years ago and resist the dragon Usa, right?”

The office fell silent immediately after these words were spoken.

The three of them actually thought of the same thing—the Lawrence family's "Ice Seal".

Although the Lawrence family is usually described in the current bard epics as greedy, cruel, cowardly, incompetent, and bloated noble lords, no one asks—how did such a family rule Mondstadt for more than a thousand years, and how did they suppress the people internally and resist the dragons externally?

If Lawrence, the old nobleman who brutally ruled Mondstadt a thousand years ago and was eventually driven out by Vanessa's rebel army, was really so incompetent, how could he have waited for a slave girl from Nata and the arrival of the wind god before being driven away?

Historical records contain accounts of the famous assassin band "The Wandering Earth"; Klizled Lawrence, the founder of the "Free Men" organization and the current Favonius Order's secret service; Parzival, the chivalrous thief known as "The Flash of the Dark Alley"; and of course, the ancestor of the Legonfind family, the red-haired swordsman "The Knight of Dawn"...

Countless heroes and outstanding figures emerged during that era, but without exception, they were all suppressed by the Lawrence family.

There is no other reason than that the Lawrence family possesses the strongest power in Mondstadt, nothing more.

Having sworn an oath to "protect Mondstadt forever," the Gunnhilds, a knightly family that guarded Mondstadt for generations, also fell silent during the Royal Age. For a thousand years, the Gunnhilds mysteriously left no noteworthy achievements.

Of course it's not that it doesn't exist... it's just that I'm ashamed to mention it.

—It is embarrassing to mention that the Gunnhildr family, also one of the three great families of Mondstadt, was helpless against the Lawrence family and even submitted to them.

In the biography of Eckhart Gunnhild, written by the modern Mondstadt historian, in order to protect his ancestor's reputation, the historian's biased account of that period of history consists of only two sentences:

"Unlike the wicked Lawrence family, the Gunnhildr family has always upheld the ancestral motto of 'Protect Mondstadt Forever,' doing their utmost to protect the people of Mondstadt. In the struggle to overthrow the nobility, they stood on the side of the people of Mondstadt, and it was for this reason that they avoided being expelled."

Even a powerful family like the Gunnhilds could only boast that they had chosen to stand on the side of the ultimate victor.

If Mondstadt's nobles hadn't allied themselves with the Lawrence family, none of them could have simultaneously dealt with the dragon Usa and the rebellious people. Yet, the Lawrence family managed to maintain their rule for so long despite internal and external troubles.

If Barbatos had not awakened a thousand years ago, the "Ice Seal" would have guaranteed that House Lawrence would continue to rule Mondstadt for another thousand years.

Two thousand years before the existence of the "West Wind Eagle" and the "South Wind Lion," and before the "North Wind Wolf" had gone far away, the Lawrence family already possessed power comparable to the "Guardians of the Four Winds."

“The Golden Hyperion…” Even the learned witch couldn’t help but murmur.

In the far north, in a land beyond the reach of even the Queen of Winter, there is a legend of an ancient kingdom built on permafrost.

The north wind howls there forever, the ice never melts, and nobles live there who can offer sacrifices to the gods with the most elegant dances in the snow and ice. That country is called "Hyperpolia".

Legend has it that winter comes from Hyperion, where fjords and aurora borealis are as serrated and sharp as wolf fangs; while icy rivers and snowy sands constantly carve out new fissures or fill them in, the land changes in countless ways... until finally this frozen land, as if it had a dream or a will, severed its umbilical cord from the continent, leaving only the legend of Ajax, the young boy who discovered the land of gold and white stones deep in the icy sea.

The ancestors of the Lawrence family, a warrior clan that was able to expand their territory in the snow and ice during the time of the Lone King in the Tower, came from the ancient kingdom of Hyperion.

The last descendant of the Lawrence family, who inherited the bloodline of a destroyed ancient kingdom and possessed power comparable to the Four Winds Guardians, is the "Wave Knight," Yura Lawrence.

Yura, the heir of the Lawrence family who was expelled from Mondstadt and is still deeply hated, was able to defy the world and break the rules to join the Knights of Faergh, not just because of Jean's recommendation or Falgar's whim.

— It wasn't until Qin took over as acting leader that she learned the true intentions behind the Grand Master's acceptance of Yura.

It's better to let Lawrence become a force for the Knights, even if he just sits idle in the warehouse gathering dust, than to let him become a weapon in the hands of the enemy.

In the past, the old nobles and the Knights were always hostile to each other. It was only after Yura joined the Knights that the Grand Master spent three years trying to resolve the conflict between the two sides. Although the gap between the descendants of the old nobles and ordinary members of the Knights has not been eliminated even now, it is much better than before.

The same applies to this incident.

Schubert Lawrence is Yura's uncle, the younger brother of the current head of the Lawrence family, and a staunch aristocratic Restorationist. No matter what attitude the Knights take towards him, contacting him will not yield good results and will inevitably provoke an overreaction.

Although you could visit them under the guise of an "investigation," if you end up wrongly accusing them, it will greatly increase their distrust.

All the previous efforts will be in vain.

Therefore, the most suitable candidate for investigation is Yura... provided that Yura is truly on the side of the Knights.

Chapter 157 Mondstadt and Winterbreak are in the same boat

Although Jean knew very well that Yura was the best choice and firmly believed in Yura's loyalty to the Knights, she still had some complaints about Kaeya's suggestion.

Yes, the person who could come up with the idea of ​​"letting Lawrence check Lawrence" was, of course, Kaia.

As Yura's friend, Jean felt that repeatedly forcing Yura to prove her loyalty to the Knights was a serious offense to her.

It's hard to imagine how sad Yura must have felt when she walked out of the office.

She said she would remember this grudge.

Qin also felt that Yura should indeed remember this grudge.

Although Jean ultimately chose to prioritize Mondstadt's safety and agreed to the plan after weighing the options, there were some things she had to say: "Yura has already proven herself in the snowy mountains, and I believe she is not involved in this conspiracy."

Kaiya shrugged. "I know, if you want to see, Jean... I received a complaint from Vagin, the Fool's diplomat, that their companion was killed in the snowy mountains by Abedo, well, to be precise, 'a person impersonating Abedo.' And Yura gave them a good beating. Diplomatic issues, Jean, oh, Captain."

Qin sighed silently: "I'll handle it."

Kaiya knew exactly what Jean was thinking, but there were always some things in this world that couldn't be brought into the light, so the Knights needed his "dark side," just like how the Church of the West, which always gave people an impression of holiness and light, also had nuns like Rosalia...

Anyway, Kaeya's face is dark enough that he's already used to playing the villain.

“Jin, although I admit that using Yura as ‘bait’ is unchivalrous, we have no better option now, do we? And if Yura can complete this mission, I believe there won’t be so many voices against her within the Knights. You know, the Grand Master favors Yura to inherit the title of ‘North Wind’…”

"No need to say anything more, I understand."

Qin lowered her eyelids, recalling the "Black Fire Case" from a year ago.

That time, Kaeya also used Amber and Cole as bait to lure out the mastermind behind the Fatui... Jean knew that this was the most efficient way, and she also knew that as the acting leader, her judgment should not be swayed by personal feelings... But she still wondered if if she had tried harder and done better, would she have been able to spare her colleagues and friends so much burden?

At this moment, Lisa spoke up: "Actually, if you ask me, we should reward Yura for what happened at the snow mountain."

Qin looked up in surprise and saw Lisa's smiling face.

"Lisa, you..."

She couldn't help but facepalm. The Grand Master was already always acting like a complete idiot, and Kaeya and Lisa were just like him... Why were there so few serious people in this knightly order? Was it because the Grand Master had taken away all the serious and proper knights?

“I’m serious.” Lisa still had that big smile on her face. “If we’re going to do it, we should do it thoroughly—announce to the Fools that the heir of the Lawrence family has openly opposed the Fools and completely sided with the Knights of Favonius. I don’t believe they can hold back.”

Qin pursed her lips. If she did this, the pressure from Yura's family would probably be even greater... But this was indeed a rare opportunity for the Knights to take the initiative in their diplomacy with the Fools.

"I'll consider it," Qin replied softly.

After Kaiya and Lisa left, Qin stood up and silently looked out the window at the night.

The festive atmosphere of the "Badminton Festival" was very strong, and the windows of the Knights were decorated with festive wreaths. Moreover, Qin was going to give a speech on behalf of the Knights tomorrow morning... but she felt no joy at the moment.

Four years ago, the demonic dragon Usa, which had haunted Mondstadt for over a thousand years, wreaked havoc once more. The "Doctor," an officer of the Fatui, "happened to be passing through Mondstadt" and casually slew Usa. In gratitude, the "Doctor" initiated numerous activities in Mondstadt, including recruiting a group of eligible teenagers as candidates for the Fatui. Since then, no one has seen those children again.

A year ago, the "Blackfire Incident" occurred, in which a Fatui diplomat was burned to death in full view of everyone at the gates of Mondstadt. Based on this, the Fatui coerced the Knights of Fatalis into joining their "Protection Agreement," thus giving the Fatui a legal basis to operate legitimately in the Seven Kingdoms.

The Knights' diplomacy with the Fools was also put on the defensive because of these two events.

Although the shadow of the dragon Ursa has disappeared, the Fatui, this new "evil dragon," has set its sights on Mondstadt.

In fact, given the full strength of the Knights of Fatalis, they might not have lost to the Kingdom of Winters. Jean also hoped to forcefully drive the Fatui forces out of Mondstadt... However, the current situation is that Mondstadt does not have the resources to completely turn against Winters.

In the words of Grand Master Falgar, "At least until the end of the expedition, Mondstadt and Winterbreak are in the same boat."