He changed Tiwat

In that dark, aristocratic era, a kind spring spirit came to Mondstadt and encountered a desperate mother and child by a dry well. The mother, holding her child, was preparing to jump into the well—yes, they wanted to commit suicide. The despicable Lawrence family had levied exorbitant taxes, leaving these poor peasants destitute, and the child was also seriously ill with no money for treatment. In utter despair, the mother decided to take her child to the afterlife.

The spring spirit, hearing of their plight, felt great compassion and summoned a gurgling stream from the dry well, which gathered into a spring to baptize the child. Miraculously, the child, who had been on the verge of death, was healed in the spring water.

People flocked to see the blessed spring, and some even built settlements around it, reluctant to leave. Over time, a small town named "Qingquan Town" came into being.

However, in Qingquan Town today, most people believe that it is just a legend, and some even say it is a "tourism conspiracy".

—Yes, this legend is indeed a made-up story.

Because a few months ago, the traveler rescued a hunter from the Dragonspine Mountains who had been frozen in ice for hundreds of years. This hunter was named Olaf, Diona's great-great-great-great-grandfather... He personally confirmed that there was no "Spring Sprite" in Springvale hundreds of years ago.

The town's spring is fed by melting snow from the Dragon's Backbone Mountains. Spring Town was originally just a settlement built by hunters around the water source, gradually developing into a small town. Clearly, reality isn't as romantic as the legend; this tale is likely just a story fabricated by a village chief to attract tourists…

But Diona truly possesses the "blessing of the spring spirits".

Children always love stories with a legendary quality. As a child, Diona firmly believed in the existence of the spring spirits. After her father fell asleep, she would sneak out of the house and talk to the moon's reflection in the spring.

Diona's sincerity, day after day, touched the spirits of the spring.

It was a feeling worth reciprocating, sincere, innocent, and beautiful—that's what the spring spirit thought.

So she appeared in front of little Diona.

Her name is Kaliru, a "pure water sprite" who drifted from Fontainebleau to Mondstadt.

Thus, Diona gained a wonderful friendship, a companion with whom she could confide and occasionally alleviate her loneliness.

On many nights, Diona would confide in Caryl and dream about the future, while Caryl would cherish her friend's feelings in her heart.

This continued until the evening of Diona's seventh birthday.

That night, moonlight shone through the spring onto Diona's face, and she heard the whispers of the spring spirit: "I bestow my blessing upon the hunter's daughter as a gift for her growth and farewell. May your cup forever be filled with celebratory wine, as sweet as the clear spring water that melts a thousand years of snow."

Since then, the spring spirit has never appeared before Diona again, and those memories have remained in her young childhood like a dream.

Childhood memories always fade, and Diona can no longer distinguish whether the water sprite remaining in her memory is a dream or reality. She still hasn't realized how her troublesome constitution is connected to "that dream."

"The 'Alcohol Killer' has failed again today, huh?"

Yura suddenly reached out and touched Diona's ear... It was fluffy, soft, and felt so good.

Yura wouldn't normally tease Diona like this, but today was special—when people are feeling down, petting a cat can effectively relax them and release stress. This is also why Yura likes to come to "Cat Tail Tavern"; the cats there are all adorable, and Diona is especially cute.

"Meow!" Diona bared her teeth, looking like she was about to bite.

Diona would actually bite anyone else who dared to touch her ear like that, but Yura was an exception; this was a privilege enjoyed by like-minded "Avengers".

At that moment, a purple figure sat down next to Yura: "Would you like to have a drink with me, Miss Yura?"

Chapter 163 Everything is negotiable, except overtime.

As a guerrilla knight, being aware of her surroundings at all times has become an instinct for Yura. Before the other party could even speak, Yura's scrutinizing gaze had already landed on the newcomer's face.

A young woman sat down at the bar, dressed in the West Wind Church nun's habit—at least in terms of style, it was indeed a nun's habit.

Her skin had a sickly pallor, as if she hadn't seen the sun in a long time, while her eyes were a pomegranate-red, perfectly complementing her short, slightly wavy, purplish-red hair. Red is a vibrant color, but the deep weariness in her eyes prevented any vibrant color from brightening her appearance. Yura had only ever seen such eyes in the eyes of those gloomy, elderly people.

This weariness probably stemmed from the heavy dark circles under her eyes, Yura thought silently. This nun, with a little makeup, would undoubtedly be a stunning beauty, but if she kept staying up late, even the most beautiful woman would look haggard. Besides staying up late, her other lifestyle habits were clearly unhealthy, at least in terms of smoking and excessive drinking—it was quite unusual for a nun serving God to reek of cigarette smoke and alcohol.

Furthermore... Yura doesn't remember knowing a nun like that.

If it was such a special nun, Yura felt she should remember her; perhaps she had met her elsewhere in different attire? Yura couldn't be sure. As a descendant of the Lawrence family, Yura was quite a celebrity in Mondstadt; it was common for people to know her but she not to know them.

"Ugh, the smell of smoke is so strong. Rosalia, didn't I tell you not to smoke!" Diona covered her nose. Her Katzrein bloodline gave her a feline-level sense of smell, making the smell of smoke on the nun even more pungent.

The nun named Rosalia awkwardly lowered her hand; she had just been reaching into her pocket for her cigarette case.

For Diona, Rosalia was also a familiar patron. However, unlike ordinary patrons, this nun usually came to drink during the day and never ran into customers like Yura who only frequented the bar at night.

“Um… Miss Rosalia, have we met before?”

Yura had already confirmed that she and Miss Rosalia were complete strangers, but since the other party had come to speak to her, she felt it was only polite to respond.

Moreover... very few Mondstadt residents are willing to talk to the Lawrence family, let alone sit at the same bar and drink together.

“Now that we’ve met, we can say we’ve met.” Rosalia waved her hand dismissively and asked, “So, shouldn’t we start drinking now, fellow drinker?”

Yura was speechless for a moment.

This person, apart from his attire, doesn't resemble a clergyman at all.

—No, even her attire is quite unconventional.

Generally speaking, the nuns' habit of the West Wind Church is only black and white. Black represents solemnity and asceticism, while white represents purity and humility. The nuns usually cover themselves up completely with headscarves and robes.

The nun's habit had clearly been altered without her consent; her shoulders were exposed, the slit in her skirt was very high, and her headscarf was an unusual purple. Moreover... what kind of nun would wear fishnet stockings? If it weren't for the embroidered West Wind Church symbol on Rosalia's headscarf, Yura would have almost thought it was some kind of "erotic" outfit.

As if noticing Yura's gaze, Rosalia shifted her position, crossing her long legs encased in fishnet stockings, and tapped the bar with her elbow: "Diona, any new specialty drinks?"

Diona's eyes darted around, as if asking about the latest special cocktail. She had just prepared it for Yura, but clearly, it had failed again. However, as the saying goes, failure is the mother of success. For the genius bartender Diona, a new cocktail recipe was just a matter of a blink of an eye.

"Yes, but I'm afraid you won't dare to drink it," Diona said smugly.

“There are very few things in this world that I wouldn’t dare to do,” Rosalia said with certainty.

"Hmph, just you wait!"

Diona started pulling out all sorts of strange materials from under the bar—lizard tails, slime gel, fish scales, butterfly scale powder… and then threw them all into the shaker.

That shaker, which should have been used to mix fine wine, now seems to have become a witch's cauldron.

Yura's attention wasn't on Diona, but rather on the arm of the nun beside her.

When Rosalia tapped the bar with her elbow, Yura noticed an unusual sound—the sound of hard objects colliding. A human elbow hitting a bar wouldn't make that sound; it was more like metal. She suspected the nun was hiding a dagger or a hidden blade in her sleeve.

In addition... Yura also discovered something else, something hidden under Rosalia's headscarf.

Although its shape could only be vaguely seen through the fabric, there was no doubt that it was a crown made of thorns.

"The Crown of Thorns..."

The image of Barbatos, the god of wind, that he left to the world actually has two sides.

On one side is the god that people imagine in their daily prayers, who freely sings hymns, brews wine, dances, and flies, bringing people harvest and joy, like a warm west wind; on the other side is the earthly ruler wearing a crown of thorns, who uses his divine power to blow away ice and snow, split mountains, drive away demonic dragons, and destroy all the powerful demons on this land, like a merciless north wind.

The crown of thorns represents the mercy of the wind god.

Legend has it that after defeating the Lone King of the Tower, the newly born Wind God was crowned king. At that time, the priestess of the Gunnhildr family placed the crown on the Wind God's head. She wove a laurel wreath for the Wind God out of laurel leaves, but the Wind God used his divine power to turn the laurel wreath into thorns. The peace-loving Wind God did not want to see bloodshed and sacrifice again, and he used the thorns on the crown to remind himself of the pain brought by war.

Thus, the name Crown of Thorns spread throughout the Church of the West Wind.

Rumor has it that there is a fighting nun organization affiliated with the Church of the West Wind, commonly known as the "Crown of Thorns," and the nuns in this organization are called "Free Women of the Church."

Mondstadt's nights are peaceful and serene, but in the quiet darkness, occasionally a fleeting glimpse of cold light can be caught—this is the stern nun delivering punishment, bestowing mercy equally upon sinners. To protect their sanctuary, the nun, an embodiment of purity, does not hesitate to soil her hands, becoming a bloodstained executioner.

The filth that cannot be exposed to the light is swept away by the faithless, in exchange for freedom and peace in people's eyes.

Rosalia... is probably such a "free person".

Diona hummed a song happily at the other end of the bar, shaking the shaker loudly. The surrounding customers laughed and joked loudly. "Little Prince," the bar's employee on duty today, lazily rolled over on the liquor cabinet and flicked his tail.

On the eve of the "Badminton Festival," everything here seemed incredibly peaceful, but the two people sitting at the bar knew that this peace was just an illusion that could be torn apart at any moment.

Yura's eyes sharpened.

"Why did the church's 'Crown of Thorns' approach me?"

Rosalia tilted her head and pointed at Yura.

You have worries.

She pointed to herself again.

"I am a nun."

Then he nodded very seriously.

"As nuns, we should accept the confessions of lost sheep; it is our duty."

Yura was stunned.

Rosalia seemed to remember something and added another sentence.

"There's nothing in this world that can't be discussed... except for overtime."

Chapter 164 Two Sinners

"At this point, I should have... but I'm going to do it this way. Yes, that's it, hehe... making every step worse."

Diona happily experimented with her new recipe, determined to give that seemingly fearless, alcoholic nun a real fright.

This time, she's going to completely deviate from the normal bartending process from start to finish. She'll let it sit when she should stir, and stir when she should let it sit. She'll add too much of the ingredients that should be added in small amounts, and not add any of the ingredients that should be added in large amounts...

Hmm, with this technique, I'm sure I can make the worst-tasting drink this time.

The bartender, completely absorbed in making her "Diona Special," didn't hear the rather unusual conversation between two customers at the bar. It was fortunate she didn't hear it, otherwise she might have been traumatized.

"You want me... to confess to you?" Yura asked again to confirm.

“Okay. You go ahead, I’m listening.” Rosalia nodded earnestly.

Yura was unsure how to react.

In the four years since joining the Knights, Yura has visited the Church of the Winds dozens, if not hundreds, and is quite familiar with the work of the nuns—after all, the Knights have a system in which formal knights are required to go to the church to worship the Wind God as often as possible each week.

The Knights of Favonius are officially known as the Knights of the West Wind. Their emblem and eagle banner are symbols of Favonius, one of the Four Winds Guardians.

In other words, all the Knights of Favonius are nominally servants of the Wind God.

Since they are followers of the gods, they should naturally have faith, and going to church for worship is a basic requirement. Yura lived outside Mondstadt when she was young and didn't really have any faith in Barbatos, the wind god. However, since she became a Knight of Favonius, she still had to put on a good show. At least she knew prayers like "Let the wind guide you" and "May the wind god protect you" by heart.

Accepting confessions from believers is indeed a daily task for priests and nuns in the West Wind Church. The church has small, individual cubicles, similar to fitting rooms, which are called "confession rooms." Believers can pour out their hidden sins to the clergy in the confessional, receiving guidance and forgiveness in return. In these situations, the clergy almost double as "psychologists."

The problem is that Rosalia is clearly a "free person of the church," a member of a fighting group composed of non-believers, an executioner with blood on her hands... to put it bluntly, an assassin in a nun's habit.

Confessing to Rosalia was like talking to an animal rights activist at a slaughterhouse—Yura felt that she was somehow more devout than an unbeliever like Rosalia in terms of faith…

Rosalia seemed to realize that she didn't really look like a clergyman.

She straightened her posture, clasped her hands in front of her chest in a prayer position, and closed her eyes.

"When believers encounter intractable troubles, it is the responsibility of those who serve God to be a gentle breeze that guides them. May God's radiance wash away all sins and bring guidance to your soul...Anemo (meaning wind god in Old Mongolian).

In fact, if she were willing to take it seriously, she could definitely pull off the look of a nun.

In fact, Rosalia is a true "formally trained" nun. As an orphan adopted by the church, she spent her teenage years in a convent as a novice nun, and was raised from a young age to serve God.

Whether it was the strange magic contained in the prayers, or a miracle caused by the nun's own piety, the noisy background noise in the tavern gradually faded away as Rosalia prayed. Her face, which had previously shown signs of weariness and sleep deprivation, now displayed a touch of holiness; her entire demeanor changed, like a bright ray of light quietly guiding believers towards the path of enlightenment…

Yura was also surprised—you can't judge a book by its cover; perhaps this person really is a virtuous nun?

Rosalia's prayer continued: "...Pray, not for God or anyone else, but for yourself. Confess, pour out your heart to me and to Him, and ask Lord Bastobas to forgive you...wait, it seems to be Bastobas...?"

"Pfft..." Yura almost spat out her saliva and quickly covered her mouth, otherwise her image as a noble lady would be completely ruined.

Rosalia turned her head away somewhat awkwardly; well, she had forgotten her lines.

She was genuinely unfamiliar with the procedure, as this was her first time attempting confession.

—Although Rosalia is indeed a graduate of a seminary with a convent degree, she has never attended a single theology class at the convent, avoids choir activities whenever possible, writes a terrible theological thesis, and has never even taken a formal nun examination.

Yura managed to suppress a laugh and shook her head: "Ahem... no need for a confession, thank you for your concern, Miss Rosalia. But if it's just a few drinks and a casual chat, I'd be happy to oblige. For example, I'm actually quite interested in you, Miss Rosalia."

The only people who could make her laugh out loud when she was feeling down were probably Amber and Rosalia. Yura would definitely like to get to know such an interesting person—besides, drinking alone is pretty boring, isn't it?

“Me?” Rosalia tilted her head. “I’m just a boring person. As you can see, I don’t like the church or my job.”

"Aren't you afraid of being overheard by being so blunt... Be careful, or I might complain to the church!" Yura laughed.

Rosalia shrugged indifferently. "It's okay. The person who recommended me has a lot of influence; they can't fire me."

Yura asked curiously, "Who recommended you to join the church?"

“Falgar, he kept nagging about finding me a stable job, acting like an old man,” Rosalia replied.

Yura covered her face. Okay, the recommendation was indeed very generous, and the church couldn't dismiss her...

She changed the subject: "So, if you're clearly not interested in work, why did you suddenly decide to work at this time? Was it just a spur-of-the-moment decision?"

“Because I just overheard your conversation with your uncle at the ‘Deer Hunter’ restaurant,” Rosalia frankly revealed the truth.

Although Yura had secretly suspected why Rosalia had approached her, hearing such a blunt answer left her speechless once again. Rosalia was clearly stalking her, and she even dared to say it to her face…

So what exactly is this guy trying to do? Is he interrogating her because she might have betrayed Mondstadt for her family? But she is still the captain of the Knights of Favonius, and the Church of Favonius has no right to interrogate active knights of the Knights of Favonius—the Church of Favonius has a relatively detached position, but in reality, it is also subject to the jurisdiction of the Knights of Favonius.

“Don’t misunderstand. I just want to help you.” Rosalia’s eyes were sincere. “...We are both sinners, this is called sharing the same fate.”

Chapter 165 Those whom God cannot protect, shall be protected by men.