He changed Tiwat

"The third section covers Mondstadt from two thousand years ago to one thousand years ago;"

"There is also a fourth section, the Knights' expedition five hundred years ago."

“Mond’s historical records of these four periods are always missing important parts at some key juncture.”

"Moreover, the disappearance of these four historical periods is likely to conceal the same secret—that Mondstadt once had another god worshipped by the people. She was not Barbatos, the god of wind, nor the Lone King of the Tower or the Wolf King of the North Wind... but a daemon related to 'time,' or rather... an existence above the daemon."

“Time governs…” Han Fulai frowned.

As a gamer, he knew that there was a quest in Mondstadt called "Time and Wind," which explicitly stated that there was once a Daedric Prince related to "time" in Mondstadt, but all information about that Daedric Prince is now impossible to verify.

If we combine this with the "inverted pool" he saw in the abyss of towering rocks, and the ancient kingdom that once believed in the "Ruler of Life"... Han Fulai is now almost certain that the Daedric Prince in Mondstadt who is associated with "time" is one of the four rulers of Sky Isles, the "Ruler of Time".

However, after the Demon God War, the four rulers of Sky Island seemed to have disappeared for some reason, and even their existence became a taboo.

It's conceivable that Mondstadt was historically associated with a ruler of the Isle of Skye, and that this history was erased to avoid taboos.

"...So you know a bit about these things too, that makes things easier."

Mona nodded and continued, "One of the pieces of evidence I found is that the first matriarch of the Lawrence family, Vanilla Lawrence, lived for at least six hundred years. Moreover, the Lawrence family did not originally worship the wind god."

She put away the book "The Secret of the West Wind" and took out another book.

The book's binding is also quite exquisite, and the paper appears to have been waxed, showing no signs of corrosion or insect damage even after many years.

"This is a forbidden book that Lisa lent me, the 'Royal Secrets Record.' It records many magical studies by the 'Court Magisters' during the royal era. Much of the content still has academic foresight today and has been very helpful to my astrological research... cough, that's not the point."

"...Simply put, besides researching magic, court mages were also responsible for regulating local soil and water, and repelling demonic invasions; they were also teachers to the nobility. So don't be fooled by the fact that this book was written by a mage; it actually contains a considerable amount of knowledge about history, governance, management, and culture..."

"'Learning from the past can inform governance,' a history textbook for noble lords. Understand."

Han Fulai smiled. This "Secret Records of the Imperial Clan" is actually the Mondstadt version of "Zizhi Tongjian" (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government). It seems that Lisa's ancestors were quite successful back then, at least as academicians and lecturers of the Longtu Pavilion.

Mona nodded: "The story of the first matriarch of the Lawrence family, Vanilla Lawrence, is also described quite clearly in the book."

Chapter 197 Vanilla Rui

Mona opened the Mondstadt edition of the Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government) and read aloud softly:

Two thousand six hundred years ago, at the beginning of the founding of Mondstadt, the matriarch of the Lawrence family, Vanirari, led the people to build a tall statue in the square to commemorate the miracle of the wind god's descent.

The inscription beneath the statue is a vow made by the leaders of various tribes in the past to protect Mondstadt forever.

"Protect Mondstadt forever, protect its green plains, mountains, hills and forests, may it remain evergreen forever."

"May Mondstadt be forever free from the tyrannical blizzard, the tyrannical blizzard."

No matter how time changes, the spirit of the vow still accompanies the winds, caressing Mondstadt like a lover, and protecting Mondstadt like a father.

Vanillaier established three noble virtues for the Mondstadt royal family:

One of the virtues is etiquette;

In that legendary era, the appearance and conduct of nobles were the models for ordinary people.

They not only guided and led their people in conduct and knowledge, but also represented the highest image of the Mondstadt people.

The exquisite and elegant appearance reflects the refined aesthetics of the Mondstadt nobility. The luxurious ornaments not only symbolize the status and wealth of the royal family, but also represent the confidence, dignity, and prosperity of the people of Mondstadt.

The second virtue is strength;

Hunting with the local people and sharing the spoils is a long-standing tradition.

In the past, nobles often ventured into the wilderness to hunt with their retinues and subjects in the vast expanse of land. Hunting was a way for nobles to display their power and generosity, demonstrating their strength in nature and distributing the spoils among their people, thus spreading their benevolence and prestige. For the common people, it was also a joyous festival.

Combat is also the responsibility of nobles. In order to protect their territory and people, nobles must have the power to fight against monsters that threaten peace.

The third virtue is self-discipline;

Punctuality is one of the most fundamental virtues, and nobles should strictly keep their promises. This is not only to remind their subjects, but also out of a sense of self-discipline—it demonstrates that a noble is trustworthy.

A qualified nobleman should be more alert than his subjects every morning, and more far-sighted and less sleepy than the people of his domain every night.

Nobles never stingy with wisdom; knowledge and profits should be distributed fairly among the people.

Those born with noble blood should uphold virtues, principles, and respect.

As Han Fulai listened to Mona read, he compared the records in the book with the history he already knew.

In the early days after Barbatos handed over Mondstadt to the people for self-governance, the nobles of Mondstadt must have had a period of benevolent rule, and the matriarch of the House of Lawrence was a representative of that benevolent rule.

She led the original inhabitants of New Mondstadt to create a statue of the wind god, and formed an alliance with the leaders of all the tribes, swearing an oath to "protect Mondstadt forever."

Two thousand six hundred years ago, Mondstadt was still in the era of pioneering in the ice and snow. Under the conditions at that time, the royal nobles led by Vanillare actually represented the most advanced productivity in Mondstadt. She united and restrained this force, allowing Mondstadt to develop better and better.

The core reason why the people of Mondstadt were willing to accept the rule of the nobility back then was probably only one: following the Lawrence family meant they could have enough to eat and wear.

Judging from these records, the first Lady Lawrence was capable and shrewd, able to gain the unanimous recognition and love of the Mondstadt people. She was definitely a person with the talent to manage the world and govern the country.

But if the account in this book is entirely reliable history—

"Two thousand six hundred years ago, it was Lady Vanessa of House Lawrence who made the oath to unite the various tribes; two thousand years ago, it was also Lady Vanessa of House Lawrence who funded the adventurer Leonard Musk to climb 'Peak of the Spire'... This lady existed in Mondstadt's history for at least six hundred years, and her lifespan was related to that Time Ruler?"

Han Fulai immediately got to the point.

Mona nodded slightly: "This book should have been written during the royal era of Lawrence's rule, that is, between one thousand and two thousand years ago. Over the years, the Lawrence family gradually abandoned the good wishes of their ancestors, and the idols they had personally cast were also overthrown."

"There's a historical novel in the library called 'The Tower of Mondstadt,' which is also sold in bookstores in Mondstadt. You can check it out later. The book tells the story of the 'Badminton Festival' more than a thousand years ago. It mentions that the nobles toppled the statue of Barbatos, turned the church into a puppet of the royal family, and built a tower on the site where the statue had been."

"During the later era of the Knights of Favonius, this statue was rebuilt and is now the statue of the wind god standing in the high square in front of the church, but the oath plaque under the statue is no longer there. The contents of the oath have been forgotten forever, as have the matriarch of the Lawrence family."

Mona spoke in a calm tone, but Han Fulai knew how much information was hidden in those few words—to overthrow the idol.

The Lawrence family dared to topple the statue of Barbatos during their reign!

Moreover, they directly broke the oath they had made before the statue of the wind god, and built the tower representing the "Lone King of the Tower" in old Mondstadt, returning Mondstadt to the rule of a tyrant... This is a completely blasphemous act of betraying faith.

To put it bluntly, the Lawrence family was riding on Barbatos's head and attacking his face from both sides!

Barbatos may not have the airs of a god, and he is indeed shameless... but he is, after all, one of the seven rulers of the mortal realm, a god capable of moving mountains and filling seas!

This cannot be explained by "corruption and depravity"; it is pure rebellion, an act of courting death.

But they've been doing this for at least a thousand years and they're still alive.

What were they relying on for their rebellion? Was it because they knew Barbatos was asleep? Were they not afraid that Barbatos would wake up and annihilate them all?

No… Considering the Lawrence family’s recent contact with the Fools and Yura’s attempt to arrange a “marriage” with him, Han Fulai had already reached the same conclusion as Mona.

It seems the Lawrence family has been using this tactic for over two thousand years – the Lawrence family during the royal era probably clung to the coattails of that ruling power.

"The records about the first matriarch of the Lawrence family only continue until before the rule of the royal family, which is about two thousand years ago in Mondstadt. According to Leonard's book, The Book of Mountains and Seas, the records about the first matriarch of the Lawrence family, Vanillari, should have disappeared shortly after Leonard's failed mountaineering attempt."

Mona closed the book, "The Secret Manual of the Royal Family".

Han Fulai slowly pieced together the missing parts of this history in his mind.

"...In other words, Vanilarei organized a group of people to try to uncover the secrets of the 'False Heaven' before she died, but she failed. She was likely punished for this and died without divine favor."

Chapter 198 Mondstadt is the "Capital's Moat"

“My guess is the same as yours.” Mona confirmed Han Fulai’s guess.

Vanila's longevity, and her sudden death after uncovering the secrets, suggest that her long life was a form of divine grace that could be taken back.

This actually aligns with the stereotypical image of gods in the history of Teyvat.

The so-called "divine favor" is equivalent to a king's reward to his subjects—what I give you is yours; what I don't give you, you can't take.

Vanila's "insatiable greed," attempting to peek into the mysteries of the sky, will inevitably bring about punishment.

—In fact, it seems that similar things happened in many ancient civilizations that have now disappeared.

Han Fulai continued speaking, still resting his hand on his chin, following his previous train of thought.

"...After her and Leonard's deaths, Barbatos used his divine power to move 'Pointed Hat Peak,' completely concealing the secret of 'False Heaven,' and fell into a deep sleep due to the excessive consumption of his power. Because they were punished for prying into the secrets of the heavens, the Lawrence family went to the other extreme, beginning to fully align themselves with the god representing Sky Island, thus retaining the power bestowed by that god..."

He recalled the power of the "Ice Seal" that Yura had demonstrated in the snowy mountains.

At first glance, the "Ice Seal" is easy to misinterpret, leading people to believe that it represents ice-attribute power. Furthermore, Yura's Ice-type Divine Eye further reinforces this assumption.

But Han Fulai still remembered that Yura had once given Joel a snow fox.

Joel was holding the snow fox in his arms when he asked Joel why he wasn't afraid the snowman would melt. Joel replied that it was a "snowman that will never melt" that his sister Yora had given him.

He had thought back then that ice created by either elemental force or magic required power to maintain, and it was impossible for ice to never melt.

Later, Amber told him that Yura had added a tiny bit of "Ice Seal" powder to the snowman.

If we connect the "Ice Seal" with the power of "governing through time"...

—The snowman that Yura gave to Joel wasn't "unmeltable," but rather "unchanging."

The powder from the "Ice Seal" stopped time on the snowman!

So the snowman can stay the same as when it was first made.

The power that allowed the first matriarch of the Lawrence family to live for over six hundred years must also be a kind of power bestowed by the rule of time, such as allowing her to remain forever young. Perhaps that is the true power of the "Ice Seal".

The fact that Vanila disappeared from history without explanation is likely due to the loss of the power to maintain time, which would cause her to decay instantly over six hundred years.

"Because the wind god departed, and the Lawrence family possessed the favor of another god, they became the most powerful family in Mondstadt. Even the Gunnhilds, who were also nobles, probably could not resist them. The Lawrence family, which was the only one that was powerful, gradually became corrupt and degenerate into the Lawrence family that is now hated by everyone."

"However, their new patrons also abandoned them, or for some reason could no longer care for them... So the Lawrence family waited for Barbatos to return a thousand years ago, and Vanessa raised the flag of rebellion."

Han Fulai finally came to a conclusion.

If, during the 1600 years from 2600 to 1000 years ago, another deity of higher rank than Barbatos actually existed in Mondstadt, it would indeed have been easy to shake people's faith in the Anemo Archon and the foundation of the Knights of Favonius's rule. No wonder the Mondstadt leadership has been hiding this matter.

However, judging from Mondstadt's existing records, for some reason, the influence this ruler of time exerted on Mondstadt seems to have been only in the shadows, and at least he never competed with Barbatos for the position.

Of course, if that god really does rule time, then he would be Barbatos's superior, and certainly wouldn't need to take his subordinate's seat.

Thinking about it, Mondstadt is indeed very peaceful. Even during the brutal era of the Demon Wars, only three Demon Lords participated in the competition. Compared to Liyue, which is littered with war ruins and Demon Lord remnants, Mondstadt is practically a paradise...

Considering that Barbatos seems to possess the means to reach the Sky Isles, and even Vanessa, the only one from Genshin Impact to ascend to the Sky Isles, ascended from the Windrise in Mondstadt, it's somewhat like having a privileged position... But in terms of productivity, the idyllic Mondstadt is quite backward...

Han Fulai couldn't help but click his tongue: "Tsk, so Mondstadt is the 'moat of the capital'!"

"Huh? What 'moat'?" Mona didn't understand.

Han Fulai shook his head: "It's nothing. I just figured out why only the Knights of Favonius of Mondstadt among the seven kingdoms would launch two expeditions with the full strength of the nation... After all, Mondstadt's duty is to protect the Sky Isles with all its might."

In this way, Wendy and Mond's many unique characteristics seem to have a completely new explanation.

Mona nodded as if she understood, and then said, "Besides that book, 'The Secret Record of the Royal Family,' I also found another piece of evidence of the existence of that Time Ruler—that Time Ruler once interfered in the Daedric War in Mondstadt."

She pulled out another book. The cover was a sky blue, representing the wind, and it featured the silhouette of a knight girl. She looked a lot like the leader of the harem—that should be the ancestor of the harem, the first Gunnhildr.

"This book, 'The Short Biography of Gunnhild,' is a historical work compiled by Eckhart Gunnhild, a modern historian of Mondstadt, by selecting fragmented legends from the aristocratic era. The book tells the story of his ancestor Gunnhild and is also the most important historical record of Mondstadt's 'Lone King in the Tower' era 2,600 years ago."

In present-day Mondstadt, besides Barbatos himself who experienced that period of history, only the descendants of the Gunnhildr family can recount it. This book undoubtedly possesses extremely high historical research value.

Mona opened the book "The Short Biography of Gunnhildr" and read the key parts to him:

"The Gunnhildr family originated from an ancient legend. It was three thousand years ago, during the time of the war between Deckalapian, the Lone King of the Tower, and Andrius, the Lord of the North Wind. At that time, in the wild Mondstadt ice plains, the Gunnhildr were the most powerful tribal leaders among the refugees."

“Gunhild’s father was once a subordinate of Dekalapian. He could no longer tolerate the king’s tyrannical rule and led his tribe to flee the ancient city where the wind howled. But the desolate land outside the city walls was uninhabitable, and the fleeing people, although they escaped the tyrant’s clutches, were soon trapped in the endless snowstorm.”

"Just when the tribe was in dire straits, the elves in the wind heard Gunnhildr's prayer... And so, the chieftain's young daughter's devout plea and the refugees' cries, buried by the wind and snow, became a bond of faith."

The power of faith... is also the power of human will.

Han Fulai's pupils narrowed slightly—Wendy ascended to godhood from an unknown wind spirit by gathering the power of faith, just like his current plan to gather the power of will through the "Teyvat community of shared destiny".

This is the path he took to become the "Salt King Emperor".

When the Emperor sent him to Mondstadt to find Venti, did it also imply that he wanted him to learn from this "senior"?

Chapter 199 Sky Island Exam: Gregorian Calendar Questions

Mona, of course, had no idea where Han Fulai's thoughts had wandered off to, but continued reading: "Faith gathered around the wind spirits, like water flowing into a clear spring, bringing them strength. He provided a small sanctuary for this tribe and shared the power of protection with the chieftain's daughter."

"After her father's death, Gunnhildr became the chieftain and first priestess of this nameless tribe, and has protected her people ever since."

"When Barbatos, the god of wind, challenged the heartless, lonely king, she led her people to face the wrath of the god; when Barbatos finally liberated the tyrant's subjects from the raging winds, she was the one who crowned the newborn god of wind."

Historically, the Gunnhild family was originally a subordinate of Dekalbarian, the "Lone King of the Tower." The young Gunnhild's father led the entire clan to flee, leaving Old Mondstadt.

When they were trapped in the snowstorm with nowhere to go, the prayers of the girl Gunnhildr and her people summoned Wendy, who was then a wind spirit. With the help of the Gunnhildr clan's wishes, Wendy gained divinity and then shared the power of the wind with this nameless tribe, making them the most powerful human tribe on the snowfield.

After Gunnhildr's father died, Gunnhildr became the chieftain of the tribe and the priestess of the wind god. Her name was adopted as the clan name of the tribe, and from then on, the Gunnhildr family lineage existed.

If the account in this "Grunhilds Biography" is true, Wendy was once just a weak wind spirit who became the wind god she is today by accumulating the power of human wishes—then Han Fulai, who now possesses the power of the salt god, can do the same thing.

The fact that "there are already successful examples" reassured Han Fulai.

No wonder that drunkard was acting so secretive on Musk Reef, saying things like "bards never sing for free," and telling him and Mona to go and explore Mondstadt's history on their own...