He changed Tiwat

Page 486

Han Fulai was still smiling: "Because this result is due to the grace of the gods, not your own power. Even if doing this could really change your situation in Mondstadt, you wouldn't want it, would you?"

Yura turned her face away: "Yes. I'm the kind of person who doesn't know what's good for me. I'm so sorry for wasting your kindness."

Her response was a hearty laugh.

"Ah, this is the Yura I know."

He had already guessed this outcome.

Or rather, it was precisely because he had guessed that Yura would say that he had to discuss it with her in advance. Otherwise, even if he had arranged everything perfectly and Wendy was willing to show up and acknowledge Yura as his familiar, Yura would definitely refuse on the spot.

The arrangements of her family, the knights, and even the gods... none of them could sway Yura's free will.

This is the true "Surf Knight," Yura Lawrence.

Han Fulai stopped laughing and said seriously, "It's precisely because you can refuse that I said you're suitable to be the Wind God's servant. Do you know? I see the shadow of a hero in you."

"...I'm not interested in any heroes." That's what Yura said, but her shifty eyes betrayed her curiosity.

Han Fulai lightly tapped his wine glass and sang a cappella:

"Drinkers of Mondstadt, keep drinking!"

Homage to freedom, homage to the god of the wind!

Homage to Vanessa, the first knight!

“…The Vanessa Saga?” Yura was taken aback.

This epic poem, sung for millennia, has always been a popular toasting song. Even now, in "Angel's Gift," in "Cat's Tail Tavern," and in every tavern large and small in Mondstadt, someone is surely singing this epic poem, urging their drinking companions to drink to their hearts' content.

Since the reconstruction of Mondstadt a thousand years ago, Vanessa, the founder of the Knights of Favonius, had known the wind god Barbatos in her early years. The legendary story of her defeating the dragon and overthrowing the nobles was set to music by poets and sung widely.

As for the villain in the story, Yura, a descendant of the Lawrence family, had heard "The Legend of Vanessa" a hundred and eighty times in the tavern.

For drunkards looking to pick a fight with her, singing this song in front of her is a common way to start a provocation.

However, Han Fulai clearly didn't intend to cause her any trouble.

Investigating the history of the Lawrence family, one must listen to the ballad "The Legend of Vanessa." This ballad details the Lawrence family's actions as the main villains, including their enslavement of the people, the construction of gladiatorial arenas, and their collusion with the dragon Usa.

But what Han Fulai wanted to sing to Yura wasn't those lines, but rather the following two:

"Descendants of Mondstadt, never forget the blessings of the wind god."

No—freedom is not a gift, resistance is!

“Look, just like that great heroine Vanessa, you also rejected the gift and chose to fight. Am I right to say you're like Vanessa?”

"No way!" Yura vehemently denied. "Vanessa is the enemy who drove out the Lawrence family! Don't say I resemble her!"

Han Fulai's lips curled slightly: "But aren't you also a 'traitor to the Lawrence family'? You're the kind of person who dared to publicly declare that you would personally erase the Lawrence name, aren't you?"

"I...I...Anyway, you're not allowed to say I look like Vanessa, or I'll hold a grudge against you. Humph." Yura stammered, and finally simply activated her innate skill, "Holding a grudge."

Han Fulai shook his head and laughed, "Alright, let's not talk about Vanessa, let's talk about the Wind God."

"As the poem says, Barbatos, the wind god who overthrew the 'lone king in the tower' and banished the royal nobles, left the people of Mondstadt with a true gift: an unyielding spirit of resistance."

"If anyone in Mondstadt today has inherited the spirit of resistance from the Anemo Archon, isn't it you, Yura? Fighting against your family, fighting against prejudice, fighting against misunderstandings and malice, fighting against endless evil... You say you don't respect the Anemo Archon, but you're clearly walking on his path!"

"I didn't...!" Yura wanted to argue, but couldn't find the words to refute her. In the end, she could only manage a small, muttered sentence: "...It's not as good as you say..."

Han Fulai continued, "Furthermore, when I said that the wind god Barbatos would be willing to accept you as a member of his kin, it wasn't because I wanted him to bestow any gifts upon you, but rather—I wanted him to become your friend."

"Make friends with the Wind God?!"

Yura, unusually, opened her mouth wide without caring about her image. Why does this person always speak in such a frightening way?

"Hmm." Han Fulai nodded seriously, then began to sing the second half of "The Legend of Vanessa":

“‘Mond is freedom,’ the wind sings for the people.”

A lonely breeze gathered in the forest and blew down the tyrant's tower;

The lion cub raised its head in the wind, finally breaking free of its shackles.

And so, the girl earned her a reputation.

As the wind god's accompaniment singer, the girl's heart was filled with gratitude.

But Barbatos refused her thanks.

In your songs, you are the main character.

I have accepted your friendship and gained your fame.

'Nature should sing for your freedom.'

“Look, Vanessa also earned the title of ‘Lion Fang Knight’ through her own unremitting efforts and overcoming numerous difficulties. Although people recognize her as a follower of the wind god and ‘Guardian of the South Wind,’ she actually refers to the wind god Barbatos as a friend.”

"And as far as I know..." Han Fulai deliberately lowered his voice, "the current generation's 'Lion Fang Knights,' with acting captain Jean, gained the recognition and friendship of the wind god Barbatos during the 'Dragon Disaster.' What Captain Jean could do, I originally thought you could definitely do too... Or are you willing to admit that you are simply no match for Captain Jean?"

Yura slammed her hand on the table and stood up: "Who says I'm inferior to the daughters of the Gunnhildr family!"

Chapter 249 The Wind Will Change [4k]

The surrounding patrons immediately focused their attention on Yura, who had suddenly stood up.

Yura finally realized she had fallen for a provocation and quickly sat down again, but still refused to back down: "The Gunnhildr family and my family are sworn enemies, as are Jean and me. I admit that as the acting leader, she is fair in separating public and private matters and has good judgment, at least she can recognize my strength... So I'm considering giving her a not-too-bad defeat when I take my revenge."

The connection between these so-called "arch-rivals" began four years ago.

At that time, Yura, who was only fifteen years old, had just returned to Mondstadt. After training under the old scout knight for several months, she went to the Knights to participate in the annual entrance examination.

Upon learning that she was a descendant of the Lawrence family, the Knights refused Yura's application without hesitation, stating that the blood of a sinner was unworthy of becoming a Knight of Favonius. Enraged, Yura challenged all the knights who stood in her way to a duel at the Knights' headquarters.

Yura received royal swordsmanship training from a young age, and was further enhanced by the West Wind swordsmanship and guerrilla tactics carefully taught by the old scout knight. In addition, she incorporated the agile footwork of the "Festival Dance". None of the West Wind knights in charge of the assessment were a match for this girl.

Just as the descendant of the Lawrence family was about to accomplish the glorious feat of single-handedly conquering the Knights Order's dungeon, the one who stood up to stop Yura and uphold the Knights Order's honor was the current "Lion Fang Knight," Jean, who was only half a year older than Yura.

In that battle, the two demonstrated the pinnacle of their skills to each other, and were both amazed that the other had cultivated such artistry at such a young age.

Martial artists often find it easy to appreciate each other.

Jean then announced on the spot, in the name of the current "Lion Fang Knight," that she acknowledged Yura's strength and invited her to join the Knights of Favonius.

It was thanks to Jean, a descendant of the Gunnhildr family, as guarantor that the sinner descendant of the Lawrence family was able to compete fairly with others and enter the Knights of Favonius with dignity.

After that, every month the knights' guards would see a certain guerrilla knight returning from a mission, carrying a greatsword, and going into the vice-commander's office to cause trouble. Over time, the two gradually changed from sword-wielding sparring to philosophical exchanges over tea... These two rising stars of the younger generation of the knights, representing the Gunnhild and Lawrence families respectively, chased and grew stronger through these repeated exchanges.

Later, Lisa and Kaiya would also join the tea parties, and the monthly competition expanded to various fields, such as music appreciation, poetry exchange, etc. Occasionally, it would even touch on the topic of love that girls like.

—Of course, according to Yura, this was because she saw that the Gunnhild family's daughter was too busy with political affairs to hone her swordsmanship, so she deliberately gave the Gunnhild family's daughter some face.

From Han Fulai's perspective, Yura's words were essentially an admission that she had not yet defeated her "arch-rival".

—Right now, the head of the ensemble is busy reviewing documents and looking for cats and dogs all day. If you were to spar with her and win, it would be an unfair victory, let alone the fact that you probably couldn't win anyway…

Hmm, if we continue to tease Yura along this line, her reaction will probably be even more interesting.

However, Han Fulai knew when to stop while he was ahead.

"So that means if Qin can gain Barbatos's approval, you definitely can too, right?" Han Fulai asked with a smile.

Yura crossed her arms and raised her head: "Of course!"

Even if she knew it was a provocation, Yura would not admit defeat here.

In any case, anything Jean Gunnhild can do, Yura Lawrence can definitely do too! This is the bottom line that this "arch-enemy" who has been entangled for four years absolutely cannot back down from!

“Since you’re confident, that makes things easier,” Han Fulai said with a smile. “To be honest, one of the reasons I’m participating in this competition is that I’ve been entrusted by the Wind God to help him retrieve his divine artifact—the ‘Sky Harp’—from the church. As long as I win the ‘Poetry Recitation’ competition and gain the right to use the ‘Sky Harp’, the Wind God will naturally appear.”

As he spoke, he pulled out the note Wendy had left for him from his pocket.

Although Yura didn't know who the "V" in the signature was, since Han Fulai said so, he probably wouldn't lie to her.

Han Fulai continued, "When the time comes, you will stay with me under the name of the 'Badminton Festival Princess' that I have designated, and then you will be able to meet Lord Barbatos. When he appears, I will introduce you to him. If nothing unexpected happens, he should give you a test. But I believe you can pass his test. The 'Wave Knight' will never lose to the 'Lion Fang Knight,' right?"

"Hmph, bring it on!"

Yura, suddenly filled with pride, raised her glass.

"Bring the wine! I want to celebrate my successful revenge ahead of time!"

Seeing that Yura had agreed, Han Fulai finally breathed a sigh of relief.

According to what Han Fulai learned from Qin, Qin had always considered Yura as a friend, and even made many considerations for Yura in this incident where the Lawrence family colluded with the Fools.

However, given her position as acting leader and heir to the Gunnhildr family, Jean couldn't openly say that she unconditionally trusted Yura, a descendant of the Lawrence family, as a friend. She had to consider the opinions of the other knights in the guild, so she had to find a compromise in many things.

—But if Yura can gain the approval of Barbatos, the god of wind, then Jean can naturally suppress those opposing opinions.

Qin must be happier than anyone else to see this happen.

For him, the most difficult part of the whole plan was persuading Yura. Once he could convince Yura to accept the plan, everything else would fall into place.

Yura herself was unaware of just how important she was to Mondstadt as a descendant of the Lawrence family who inherited the "Ice Seal," but Han Fulai was very clear about it.

Wendy's suggestion that he explore the hidden history of the Lawrence family actually implies her intention to bring the scattered power of the Lawrence family back to Mondstadt.

Given the Lawrence family's past actions in Mondstadt, the people hated them so much they wanted to tear them apart, and this hatred has persisted for over a thousand years.

However, a thousand years ago, Wendy did not heed the public's call to exterminate the Lawrence family, but instead chose a relatively mild exile, presumably with the intention of one day reinstating the Lawrence family.

The power from the Sky Isle government will likely play a significant role in Wendy's plans.

Making Yura a follower of the Wind God would not only ensure the successor of the "Ice Seal" is completely devoted to Mondstadt, but also improve Yura's position in Mondstadt, making it a "win-win" situation.

If he wasn't mistaken, even without his intervention, Wendy would have contacted Yura through other means when necessary, so he could consider this a favor he did for Wendy.

Furthermore, the old nobles within Mondstadt who harbored rebellious intentions, such as Cardinal Calvin, largely had ties to the Church. Making Yola, a knight with a true spirit of freedom and resistance, a "saint" also served as a check on the Church's power.

Given Yura's uncompromising nature, she might even take the initiative to help Wendy remove the corrupt aspects of the church.

Therefore, he was quite certain that as long as he asked, Wendy would readily agree. As for the trial, he had made it up on the spot; it was merely a formality to make Wendy, this unconventional god, appear somewhat divine...

Of course, all of this is based on his success in elevating Yura to the position of "Badminton Festival Princess".

So...

Han Fulai also raised his glass: "Wishing us all success."

After several rounds of drinks, Han Fulai felt his cheeks burning, and even his vision blurred when looking at the wine glass in his hand.

Yura had invited him over for drinks tonight, which should have been a pleasant occasion, but it was clear that neither of them knew the other's alcohol tolerance, and neither knew when to stop so that the other could "have their fill".

Han Fulai's drinking buddies used to include Yan Wang Dijun, who never knew what "drunkenness" meant, Jiang Xue and Ye Lan, who could drink an enormous amount of alcohol, and the Ninth Company of the Fools, who drank "fire water" like water. In short, they were definitely not people who could be knocked out by a few bottles of dandelion wine.

Yura used to drink alone most of the time. The people who could drink with her were: Amber, who wasn't old enough to drink; Jean, who didn't like drinking; Kaeya, who was one of the kings of drinking; and Rosalia, whom she had just met, who was probably even better at drinking than Kaeya. So Yura subconsciously regarded Han Fulai as being on the same level as Kaeya.

So, in the polite exchange of "you order me a drink, I order you a drink," the two somehow ended up with a tower of glasses on the table—"a little drinking is good for the soul" had turned into a "battle of the drinking champions."

Han Fulai wasn't a heavy drinker, and he never thought of using his supernatural powers to cheat while drinking with Yura. If his physique hadn't improved, he would have already passed out.

If he was already like this, then Yura, who had drunk even more, was naturally in even worse shape. Her beautiful pale golden eyes were already shrouded in a hazy mist of alcohol, and she was only able to keep from falling over by supporting her upper body with her elbows.

"Hey. When a lady is speaking, put down your glass and look her straight in the eye."

Yura pouted, expressing her dissatisfaction with Han Fulai.

Han Fulai put down his wine glass as instructed, but when he tried to say something, he found that his tongue was no longer able to move, and he could only mumble "sorry".

Yura stared at him stubbornly, interrogating him like a criminal: "You just said that Mona and you are just good friends, is that true?"

"Really." Han Fulai nodded.

"But that honorary knight, and Mona, have actually known you for less than a month?"

"Yes." Han Fulai nodded emphatically.

"Abeldo has become your good friend too?"

"Yes." Han Fulai nodded again, emphasizing the words.

"And Amber and Kaeya, even Jean... are they all willing to help you?"

"Mmm." Han Fu quickly put his head on the table.

Yura rested her chin on one hand and swirled her wine glass with the other, murmuring, "I really envy you."

“Envious of me…?” Han Fulai looked up.

"I envy you having so many friends."

Yura tapped the table with her empty wine glass.