He changed Tiwat

Han Fulai quickly stepped forward, wanting to transfer some fairy power to this Miss Edith. Wendy, of course, shared the same idea. The gods of Mondstadt could not stand by and watch their people suddenly fall ill before their eyes.

Another little girl, who looked to be under fourteen, hurried over with her short legs. She was Edith's older sister, the famous "legal loli," Professor of Chuqiu Language Studies, Ira Musk.

However, there was one person who was even faster than the three of them.

The blonde girl in the white priest's robe arrived at Edith's side immediately—it was Barbara.

This church pastor is not just an idol-like cute girl; being a "Mondstadt idol" is just her hobby. Her real job is as a nurse, saving lives.

"Just seeing Barbara makes me feel better." — This is a common saying in Mondstadt. In fact, it's not just moods that can be healed; wounds or physical discomfort can also be healed.

When the meteor shower occurred in Mondstadt before, it was Barbara who led the team of priests from the church to treat the unconscious residents. Now that she sees that a contestant is in trouble at the venue, Barbara naturally steps up to help as well.

Barbara knelt beside Edith and softly recited a prayer: "O wind that guides me. Give me the strength to keep going when I am troubled, the wisdom to distinguish good from evil when I am confused, and the courage to fight when injustice strikes me..."

As Barbara prayed, the blue water-elemental eye at her waist gradually lit up, and a small water ring appeared in her palms.

Praying to the wind god awakened the power of the water element, which does seem a bit strange, but since it's a power that can heal injuries and illnesses, as long as it works, it doesn't really matter what kind of element it is.

And that is indeed the case. The "healing ability" on the continent of Teyvat depends almost entirely on how you use elemental power, and has nothing to do with which elemental Vision you possess. Among the Vision holders of each element, a certain percentage will obtain healing spells. People with this ability are basically either engaged in medical or nursing-related professions, or they obtained the Vision with the intention of healing or protecting someone.

Barbara was the same; she wasn't doing anything "great" when she gained the Eye of God.

At that time, she had only recently joined the church and was taking care of a child with a persistent high fever. The child had taken the pastor's medicine, but his condition did not improve, and no matter how Barbara tried to soothe him, the child would cry incessantly.

Someone suggested that Barbara sing to the child, which might make the child feel better, so Barbara held the child and started singing.

At that time, Barbara was not yet a "Mondstadt idol," and of course, she didn't know much about singing. She only remembered that when she was sick as a child, her mother would hold her and sing her lullabies, so she followed suit and sang lullabies for that child.

Although she sang clumsily, merely humming a melody from memory, the child's pained expression gradually eased. So Barbara continued singing the song, countless times until her voice became hoarse. Only when the child in her arms fell peacefully asleep did the exhausted Barbara finally drift off to sleep.

The next morning, when Barbara woke up, the child's fever had subsided, and she found herself holding a God's Eye.

"To heal everyone with my singing"—Barbara's Eye of God was born from such a simple and gentle dream.

Barbara softly hummed her healing song to Edith, the lullaby that had granted her the Eye of God. Guided by the song, the power of the water element swirled around Edith before slowly seeping into her body.

This was the first time Han Fulai had ever heard Mondstadt's "Lullaby"—but he immediately recognized the song as the game's login screen background music, which was etched into the DNA of Genshin Impact players and was known as "the little song that makes your liver hurt."

The tune really worked! As soon as Barbara finished humming it, Edith woke up instantly, just like a player who suddenly sat up in shock when they realized they hadn't done their daily quest...

She wasn't seriously injured to begin with; she had just been momentarily overwhelmed by excitement. Barbara's healing magic brought her back to her senses. Edith, now awake, left the venue accompanied by staff.

Ella stood confidently in front of Han Fulai, hands on her hips, and issued a challenge: "I'll be the one to fight next!"

His younger sister had just been defeated by him, so it was only natural for the older sister to want to avenge her—although, in appearance, Ella looked more like the younger sister, and there was a significant age difference between them.

The competition continued, and Sister Victoria, one of the judges, revealed the theme: "Wind".

In the land of wind, there are countless poems with wind as their theme, such as "Dandelion Pastoral," which can be found everywhere.

But Ella, an unusual scholar in both appearance and research direction, has never followed the conventional path.

Those ordinary poems were not even worth her attention.

She cleared her throat and began reciting a poem in a strange tone that most people couldn't understand:

“Nini movo muhe yoyo

Nini movo mimi tomo

Lata movo mosi yoyo

Celi movo celi yoyo”

The poem that this Hilichurl professor was reciting was actually Hilichurl poetry!

Including Han Fulai, none of the contestants or audience members present could understand what the "poem" was about—but there were two exceptions: the erudite witch Lisa and the "God of Poetry" who was fluent in all the languages ​​of the world.

The all-knowing Lisa kindly provided translation for the audience: "'May the wind bring you victory, may the wind bring you satisfaction, may the water bring you food, may the elements be with you.' — From the representative work of the 'Hicmur Laureate Poet,' compiled by ecologist Jacob Musk in 'Hicmur Poet Selection.'"

The Jacob Musk that Lisa mentioned was the ancestor of Ella and Edith. Ella's ability to study Hilichurls can be considered a family tradition.

But can this "poetry" that doesn't speak human language even be considered valid?

Chapter 279 Cross-Server Chat [4k]

As if anticipating everyone's questions, Lisa continued before anyone could raise any objections: "The competition rules only require contestants to recite poems containing keywords and have one minute to think; there are no language restrictions. Professor Ella's poem is quoted from 'The Hilichurl Poetry Anthology,' and since it's a poetry collection, it naturally meets the standards of this competition."

In conclusion, judge Lisa's assessment was: Hilichurls' poems are still poems.

For this learned witch, the fact that "Hicrulls were once human" was no secret. Since they were once human, it was perfectly normal for them to have a culture of poetry.

Furthermore, Lisa, who had explored the Abyss and even had contact with the "Cult of the Abyss," knew that Hilichurls actually had social organization patterns and beliefs similar to those of humans. The "Cult of the Abyss" exploited this characteristic of Hilichurls, sending Abyss Mages to recruit them as their subordinates in the name of faith.

Although the social structure of the Hilichurls is somewhat similar to that of primitive shamanistic tribes, even the most primitive civilization is still a civilization, and even the most bizarre culture is still a culture. The possession of language is proof of civilization—although this view is not mainstream in academia, it is indeed held by the Epistemological scholars at the Shravasti Academy of the Faith Council.

Those scholars who regard language and writing as the core and essence of the world not only acknowledge that the Hilichurls possess civilization, but even believe that machines without flesh and blood may possess civilization—they even compiled a book called "Logical Concepts in Rune Language" in an attempt to make humans understand the language of those ancient machines wandering in the desert...

Compared to the epistemologists who fantasize about "mechanical life," acknowledging that the Hilichurls possess civilization is a relatively mild academic viewpoint.

Of course, acknowledging that Hilichurls possess civilization and unleashing a Lightning Bolt upon encountering one are not contradictory. Being able to understand a Hilichurl's cries of agony does not mean that Lisa will hesitate to strike...

As for whether Ella's recitation counts as a poem or not... Lisa came to be the judge mostly to have some fun, and Ella, this "Hicmur poet," reciting her "poem"... was quite amusing, hmm.

In fact, the "translation" in the book that Lisa just relayed is merely the author Jacob's speculation and is not a truly accurate translation.

Don't let her serious expression fool you, she's actually holding back a laugh.

—If this "poem" were translated according to its actual meaning, the two nuns from the Church of the West Wind sitting next to her would definitely turn on her.

Upon hearing Lisa's words, the audience immediately began to murmur amongst themselves.

Some people think that Hilichurls are just monsters, and it's questionable whether the howls of monsters can be called a language; others exclaimed that this competition was really worthwhile, as they could not only enjoy the wonderful poetry contest, but also hear the unique Hilichurl poetry, making the trip truly worthwhile.

Han Fulai noticed that Wendy's expression was quite strange after listening to Ella's "poem," as if she had an opinion but couldn't say it.

He glanced at Lisa on the judges' panel and then at Wendy, finally deciding to pretend he knew nothing—after all, no matter what "poetry" the other party recited, he could respond with real poetry.

Seeing the audience stirring up trouble, Wendy, as the host, had to step in to smooth things over. After all, Lisa, as a judge, had already affirmed Ella's "poem," and it wouldn't be appropriate for him, as the host, to object.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as a professional bard, I would like to tell you the story of Mr. Jacob Musk, who is known as the 'Poet Laureate of Hilichurls'."

"Hundreds of years ago, adventurers in the Adventurers' Guild stumbled upon a Hilichurl tribe singing and dancing around a campfire at night, holding what looked like wine cups. People at the time were puzzled—'Do Hilichurls also have wine and poetry in their lives? Do Hilichurls also have pious desires?'"

"To answer this question, the inquisitive scholar, Mr. Jacob Musk, risked his life to travel to all the Hilichurl tribes across the continent. He infiltrated various places where Hilichurls might live, and even participated in their lives, eating and living with them, which is how he completed the book 'Selected Poems of the Hilichurls'."

"He told us that there are tribes among the Hilichurls who worship the wind. The Hilichurls in these tribes often get drunk and sing endless songs praising the wind. The poem Miss Ella just recited is a Hilichurl shaman's hymn to the wind. Maybe the Hilichurls will even say, 'May the wind god protect you,' you know?"

Wendy's words elicited laughter from the audience. However, hearing that a Hilichurl could praise the wind and get drunk, the drunkards in the audience felt a certain warmth towards her.

—But Wendy wasn’t joking when she said that.

—The Hilichurl shaman's prayer is indeed quite similar to the prayer of the Church of Favonius, and its meaning is very similar to the line Barbara just recited: "O wind that guides me, give me the strength to continue when I am troubled, the wisdom to discern good from evil when I am confused, and the courage to fight when I suffer injustice..."

To sum it up in one sentence, it would be, "May the wind god protect you."

Because of their limited vocabulary, Hilichurls can have many meanings for almost every word. A word can have one meaning as a noun, and another meaning as a verb or adjective.

For example, the Hilichurl word "Nini" means "thunder element," as well as "air, disappearance," and can also be extended to mean "something powerful and terrifying." "Movo" means both "wind element" and "movement/flow/bringing," etc. Therefore, understanding the Hilichurl language is extremely dependent on the context. The same word can have different meanings in different places, when doing different things, or when facing different people.

For example, the word "muhe" has many meanings. Sometimes Hilichurls use it to mean "like," but it usually means "want."

"Muhe yoyo" means "I like you" in the prayer of a Hilichurl shaman, but if the scenario is changed to a Hilichurl saying "mi muhe ye" to a human, well... being told "I want you" by a Hilichurl is definitely not a good thing.

"Nini movo muhe yoyo" literally translates to "The powerful and terrifying wind element likes you".

If you were to translate that "poem" carefully, it would actually mean, "The wind protects you, the wind is our friend; the water will engulf you, the fire will scorch you."

To put it simply, it's the Hilichurl version of the Anemo Cult's prayer: believe in the Anemo and you'll have eternal life; don't believe in the Anemo and you'll be drowned or burned...

Of course, Wendy would never say these things aloud; let's just treat it as a "poem"...

Wendy turned to Ella.

"Hundreds of years ago, Mr. Jacob participated in a 'Poetry Recitation' competition to promote his Hilichurl studies, and even won the championship that year, earning the title of 'Hichurl Laureate Poet.' Since Miss Ira Musk has inherited the will of her ancestor, then presumably she is participating in this competition to inherit the name of her ancestor, Mr. Jacob Musk?"

“Exactly!” Ella proudly puffed out her flat chest, pointed at Han Fulai opposite her, and shouted, “Today I will definitely defeat you and win the title of ‘Hyperhill Laureate Poet’ for this generation!”

The audience cheered when Ella declared her determination to win.

Han Fulai, naturally, couldn't afford to be outdone, and immediately responded with Su Shi's poem "Ding Feng Bo":

“Drunk, I am sobered by vernal wind shrill

The chilly spring breeze sobered me up from my drunken stupor.

And rather chill.

Slightly chilly.

In front I see the slanting sun atop the hill;

The setting sun shines obliquely on the mountaintop, welcoming us.

Su Shi's lyrics are worlds apart from Ella's incomprehensible, rambling poetry. The audience supporting Han Fulai cheered.

But Ella clearly wasn't going to give up. She gave a soft hum and recited a string of "poems" containing the keyword "Movo":

“In movo lata mita

Mita in movo lata

Mita movo lata”

This is a poem from the "Hichu Language Quick Reference Manual" left to Ella by her grandmother, a folklorist, and her predecessor, Ella Musk.

The Musk family has a long tradition of name inheritance, and Ira inherited her grandmother's business and name.

In that "Quick Reference Handbook of Quora", the previous generation of Grandma Ella left these phrases as "thought questions" for her lovely little granddaughter who would eventually inherit the name "Ella" to study.

After Ella became Professor Ella, she indeed solved these "puzzles": "movo" means wind, "mita" means meat, and "lata" means ice, so the answer is "dried, chilled meat"! These phrases are obviously the Hilichurls praising the wind for bringing them delicious food!

But actually... the word "movo lata" means "flowing ice," which is to say, "water."

If translated, these phrases would be "meat from the water (fish, frog, waterfowl)," which has nothing to do with the keyword "wind"—but judge Lisa still held up a sign with an "○" while suppressing a laugh.

Han Fulai then took over the second half of "Ding Feng Bo":

“Turning my head, I find the dreary beaten track.

Looking back at the desolate place we came from,

Let me go back!

Go back!

Impervious to wind, rain or shine, I'll have my will.

Neither wind nor rain, neither sunshine nor gloom.

When it comes to endorsements, Ella is naturally no less capable than Han Fulai. With a quick glance, she extracted a passage from "Selected Poems of Qiuqiu Language":

“Mimi movo

Mimi sada

Mimi domu

Domu upa

Gusha dada”

This is a "campfire song" of the Hilichurls. Many Hilichurl tribes have a tradition of singing around a campfire under the moonlight. This is a song that Jacob Musk recorded. It is usually sung by the highest-ranking chief of the Hilichurl tribe as the final song of the evening party.

After the poem ends, the chief will shout "nunu!" three times, signaling everyone to disperse and go to sleep.

If translated, this folk song means, "We dance, we sing, we lie down, we lie on the grass, the grass is the best!"

—Anyway, it has nothing to do with the trend.

In response, Han Fu replied with Qin Guan's "The Magpie Bridge Fairy":

"When Autumn's Golden Wind embraces Dew of Jade,

The golden wind and jade dew meet,

All the love scenes on earth, however many, fade.

That surpasses countless things in the human world.

In response to Han Fulai’s casual recitation of a golden phrase, Ella retorted with a string of “incantations,” which was basically just “lata movo dada” over and over again. This was a passage from her father, folklorist Al Musk’s folklore book, “A Study of the Human Customs of the Land of the Winds” (commonly translated as “The Land of the Winds”), which was said to be a song sung by a water shaman praising the north wind.

This Al Musk inherited the will of his grandfather, the previous Al Musk, and was determined to track and study the Hilichurls in Mondstadt, to conduct a "population census" of the Hilichurls. To this end, he went deep into the Hilichurl tribes to obtain first-hand information, and thus collected a large number of Hilichurl terms.

His research findings are known as the "Hooligan Index": Generally speaking, large, active creatures require a large amount of energy to survive. Based on the number of large Hilichurl hooters active in a certain area and their proportion in the total Hilichurl population, the abundance and stability of food acquisition for these Hilichurls can be calculated, thereby estimating the specific number of Hilichurls in that area.

—This research finding can indeed help the Knights of Favonius estimate the number of monsters in the wild during patrols. Once the "thug index" of a certain Hilichurl tribe exceeds the limit, the Knights of Favonius will send people to carry out targeted strikes.