He changed Tiwat

"I hereby declare Mr. Han's questioning valid, and Ms. Ella is out of the running."

She paused for a moment, then added, "Also, could you please write down the poem in the Qiuqiu language and its translation for me after the match? I'd like to include it in this year's 'Badminton Festival Poetry Anthology'."

Chapter 281 "Ten Years"

Upon hearing Lisa's words, Han Fulai finally realized—Lisa had been waiting for him all along.

He figured out that the match with Ella was just part of Lisa's "Yan Kingdom Map," and the ultimate goal was to make him an ambassador for the Qiuqiu language poetry.

The "Selected Poems of the Badminton Festival" includes the best works from the annual "Badminton Festival" celebrations, such as the poem by Shakespeare that he recited during the preliminary rounds, all of which are masterpieces that will be remembered for generations.

With Ella's fluent Zaunite Hilichurst language, there's no way any of her works could be selected for the "Badminton Festival Poetry Anthology." Once the competition is over, nobody will care about Hilichurst poetry anymore.

So Lisa came up with the idea of ​​using this legendary poet, who could compose a poem in seven steps, to promote the Chuqiu language poetry.

During the preliminary round, Lisa deliberately leaked the questions to him and seemed to be on his side. But just now, she suddenly started to side with Ella. He was wondering why Lisa had suddenly changed her tune—it turned out that it was all for the "show effect" of the previous match.

It's like a modern-day "traditional martial arts master" performance. If "traditional martial arts master" Ella uses a set of "Lightning Five-Strike Whip" and hits thin air, it just looks like she's whipping around on her own. But if there's a master standing opposite her, using a set of "Lingbo Weibu" (a martial arts technique) to gracefully dodge and weave left and right against Ella's "Lightning Five-Strike Whip," it instantly looks like a showdown between two masters...

Just now, Ella attacked with a bunch of random Hilichurl poems, while Han Fulai responded with various golden quotes from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign. As a result, the quality of those Hilichurl poems was raised, making the "cross-server chat" scene more even and like a battle between masters.

In reality, the outcome of the match was entirely under Lisa's control as the judge, since she held the referee's power and could declare Ella the loser at any time. However, Lisa deliberately dragged it out until he protested, intentionally giving Ella the opportunity to showcase his Hilichurl poetry, or to put it more bluntly, to ride on his popularity as the "most dazzling guy at the badminton festival."

And so now, Ella has become the "Hichurst Poet Laureate Candidate" who narrowly lost to "Sir Humphrey, who was on par with Barbatos" in a grand duel...

His Qiuqiu language version of "Qiuqiu Ballad" was included in "Badminton Festival Poetry Anthology" by Lisa, and it will become a "classic masterpiece" that will be praised by future generations. It will probably be talked about after this match and set off a Qiuqiu language craze...

It seems Lisa really dotes on that "legal loli"... Well, who told Ella to always spend time in the library with the bored librarian?

Han Fulai smiled and nodded to Lisa, indicating that he agreed to Lisa's proposal.

Since it won't affect the match result anyway, he might as well consider it a favor to Lisa. He hasn't had much contact with this librarian since arriving in Mondstadt, so it's certainly a good thing to take this opportunity to improve their relationship.

The audience at the scene, of course, had no idea that there were so many twists and turns in the match. The surprises these three matches brought them were enough to make them remember this competition forever.

Imagine, Han Fulai made a bet to compose a poem on the spot in his first battle, making it more difficult for himself; in his second battle, he could make his opponent faint from vomiting blood by reciting poetry; in his third battle, he even used Qiuqiu language... After watching this match, it would be enough for the audience to brag about in the tavern for half a year. If he could really achieve the feat of "one against seventeen", he could definitely brag about it for a year!

Most viewers' perception of Han Fulai has shifted from "a gambling darling" to "let's see what other good things he can come up with."

Han Fulai certainly wouldn't let them down. Facing the challenges from the next dozen or so players, he not only defended his title steadily but also continued to produce memorable quotes and excellent works, almost turning this year's "Badminton Festival Poetry Anthology" into his personal poetry collection.

The themes of the drinking games changed again and again, but he always handled them with ease.

The theme corresponds to the changing seasons, so he recited the four seasons from the sonnets. Sir Humphrey's "To My Fair Lord" series thus began to have "Four Seasons Poems" (sonnet 18, 73, 97, 98).

His themes correspond to natural landscapes, and he also freely expresses his understanding of Tang and Song poems in English translation.

When the theme was "friends," he even sang "Ten Years" on the spot:

Ten years ago

Ten years ago

You were not my girl, me you didn't know

I don't know you, you don't belong to me.

We were identical

We are still the same

As we loved someone else's soul

By a stranger

Walking down the road we got to know

Walk through the streets that are gradually familiar

Ten years have passed.

Ten years later

We are still friends now, you'd greet me in town

We are friends, we can still say hello

However tender you sound

Just kind of gentle

The reason to love you is never found

No more reason to hug

Eventually only friendship is around

Lovers inevitably end up as friends.

With just a few words, he told a story of joys and sorrows, and brought tears to the eyes of the audience.

—Some people, when they hear this song, will think of an embrace they can no longer hold, a "friend" they no longer even greet, such as his opponent in that match.

Many audience members became loyal fans of Sir Humphrey after that.

...especially female viewers.

When he finished singing "Ten Years," some enthusiastic female audience members were ready to go on stage to present him with flowers—but the captain of the Knights' guerrilla squad, who happened to be present, solemnly stopped those enthusiastic female audience members.

Although Yura is not currently working, she feels obligated to stop these people from disrupting the order of the competition, hmm.

Finally, when the sun was directly overhead, Han Fulai, after three hours of hard work, completed the feat of "passing through sixteen places in one go".

His final opponent was Marvin Goethe, the son of the owner of the Goethe Hotel where he was staying.

The audience at the scene filled the entire Fengshen Square, far exceeding the number of people who came to watch the game before, making it an unprecedented spectacle.

Many people hadn't originally planned to attend the "Poetry Recitation" event, but the name "Sir Humphrey, on par with Barbatos" had already spread far and wide, and his renditions of "Red Rose" and "Ten Years" even attracted fans who came simply to listen to the songs. In other words, a large portion of the audience had come specifically to see Dr. Teyvat Chen...

Amidst the expectant gazes of the audience, the competition to determine the winner of the "Best Bard of Mondstadt" began.

Chapter 282 Twenty-Four Love Poems and a Song of Despair

Since this is the final match that will determine the champion, it is naturally the most suspenseful and highly anticipated match.

During the brief break before the competition, host Wendy added an announcement segment: "Ladies and gentlemen, the 'Poetry Recitation' competition has finally reached the final stage! On one side, there is Sir Humphrey, who has successfully defended his title for sixteen consecutive years, and on the other side, the promising new poet, Mr. Marvin Goethe!"

"As the most anticipated 'Snowwing Goose' of this competition, will Sir Humphrey be able to fulfill his pre-competition boast and win the crown and fine wine? Or will Mr. Marvin rise to the occasion and become the 'Blackwing Goose' of this competition...?"

The "snowwing goose" and "black-winged goose" that Wendy is referring to are large birds that live in Lake Fontainebleau. As their names suggest, the snowwing goose has snow-white plumage, while the black-winged goose has jet-black plumage.

In Fontaine's arts and culture circles, outstanding singers or poets have always been referred to as snowwing geese, symbolizing their nobility, beauty, and exceptional qualities; while black-winged geese were once considered cursed individuals among snowwing geese or ominous signs.

However, as people have been pursuing new art in recent years, there have been more and more works depicting the Black-winged Goose in a positive light. In the Fontainebleau art circle, the term "Black-winged Goose" has gradually been used to describe individuals who were not initially favored but later showed amazing performance.

Wendy's use of the metaphors of Fontaine poets suggests that Marvin could actually be an unexpected "dark horse."

Of course, this is indeed the case. No matter how strong Han Fulai is, he would get tired after fighting sixteen opponents in a row, and he might not be able to easily defeat Marvin. As a young master from a prestigious family, Marvin has received a good literary education since childhood, and his ability to reach the finals is certainly not to be underestimated.

And as Wendy said, Marvin can indeed be considered a rising poet—after all, love can always turn even the most taciturn man into a poet.

Marvin's work in the preliminary round three days ago already demonstrated his considerable talent:

"Me and you"

Stars and Moon

Wind and Clouds

Flowers and Mist

"Inseparable"

This short poem uses several beautiful images commonly found in life to express the desire to never be separated from one's loved one. Although brief, it is very spiritual and beautiful, and it received unanimous praise from the judges.

Not only that, Marvin also brought fine wine in the three days leading up to the finals and specifically sought out Wendy to learn poetry writing techniques. You could say he was practically a disciple of the "God of Poetry," albeit an unofficial one in a crash course...

Wendy's specific mention of it was naturally a reminder to Han Fulai not to underestimate this final opponent.

Despite having the title of "rising poet" certified by Wendy, Mavin himself seemed quite uneasy, constantly fiddling with the bow tie on his purple suit, as if he were struggling with something.

As the break was about to end, Wendy gently strummed the guitar strings and then composed a poem on the spot:

"Who has seen the wind? Neither you nor I.

Nobody has ever seen the wind, let alone you or me.

Nor has anyone ever seen love, till a bouquet comes flying by.

No one has ever seen love until a bouquet of flowers is thrown to them.

As he spoke, the three judges behind him raised the theme board for the final round together—"Love".

Han Fulai couldn't help but smile when he saw the topic. The first theme of the preliminary round was love poems, and the last theme of the final round was also the same. Even the poem that Wendy just wrote was on the same theme... Did they plan this in advance?

Beginning with love and ending with love—it sounds quite romantic, very Mondstadt-esque indeed.

At this moment, Marvin took off his top hat, bowed deeply to Wendy, and then bowed to Han Fulai.

“I would like to first thank Mr. Wendy. It is your guidance these past few days that has made me qualified to stand on this stage. I have something I would like to say: I am standing here not for the poet’s laurel, but... for Mara.”

"I met Mara here two years ago at the 'Badminton Festival,' and today, I'm standing here for her."

"The reason I participated in the competition began a few months ago, as everyone knows, when Mondstadt was hit by a massive storm. When the storm struck, I happened to be outside the city, and a huge boulder came crashing down on me... In that instant, all I could think about was my lover, Mara. I was thinking, if I died, how heartbroken she would be..."

"...Fortunately, the boulder only grazed past us and crashed to the ground beside us. And I finally understood how important Mara was to me, that even death could not separate us."

Among the crowd below the stage, a young girl quietly wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes.

Unlike other contestants, Marvin had no interest in the title of "Best Bard of Mondstadt". From the preliminaries onward, he was only striving to be on this stage at this moment.

His decision to be the last to challenge Han Fulai was not due to strategic considerations—for Marvin, simply being on that stage was already half the battle won.

The judges couldn't award him the other half of the "victory".

"But my relationship with Mara was met with fierce opposition from my father, which caused me great distress, torn between family and love. However, now I have made up my mind..."

Marvin turned to Han Fulai and bowed deeply again.

"Thank you, Mr. Han, for your poem 'Thinking of this affection forever, I disdain kings and nobles' in the preliminary round. It was your poem that gave me courage and strengthened my resolve. I know that my talent cannot compare with Mr. Han's, so please allow me to congratulate you on your victory—and I hereby declare my withdrawal."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the room. Some were moved by Marvin's devotion, while others who had bet on Marvin were now shouting for their money back...

But no matter how much the audience clamored, Marvin didn't care.

He then bowed to the three judges.

"Standing on this field today, I only have one thing to do—I want to propose to Mara! I want to shout out my feelings for Mara here, to the whole of Mondstadt, to the whole of Teyvat!"

“These past few days I have turned my longing for Mara into a collection of poems called Twenty-Four Love Poems & A Song of Despair.”

"I just hope the judges will allow me to finish reciting my marriage proposal vows and my poem here."

Given the romantic nature of the Mondstadt people, and since they've already gone this far in Marvin, there's certainly nothing they can't object to.

However, one person at the scene raised an objection—it was Han Fulai.

He shook his head and said slowly, "I don't want to stop Mr. Marvin's proposal, and I'd like to help you make it happen... But you know, I made a bet with Mr. Ninglu in the audience. I would feel guilty accepting this victory so easily and drinking Mr. Ninglu's wine."

Chapter 283 Take me to your heart

Marvin was also taken aback by Han Fulai's sudden objection and was momentarily stunned, unsure of what to do.

He would wait until the very last match to announce his withdrawal, partly because proposing marriage is a major life event, and publicly declaring against his family's wishes requires a great deal of courage; he needed time to prepare mentally. On the other hand, he thought that being the last to perform wouldn't affect the championship outcome and would avoid causing trouble for others…

This was the best way he could think of.

To be honest, Han Fulai actually quite admired Marvin's courage and didn't intend to be the villain who broke up the couple.

But from his perspective, he had to raise objections.

The bet with Ning Lu was secondary; his mention of the bet earlier was just an excuse. The key issue was that the timing of Marvin's proposal was terrible for Han Fulai.

—So you proposed on the spot, lost the game but won life? All my hard work of defeating sixteen opponents was just for your sake?

Marvin suddenly appeared in the final match and proposed, instantly stealing the audience's attention. From now on, when people mention this final match, the first thing that comes to mind is the lovestruck young master of the Goethe family proposing in public... And putting all that aside, some people might even say that it was because Marvin withdrew from the competition that he won the championship.

In a worse scenario, people might accuse him of rigging the competition, claiming his championship was illegitimate...

As a modern person, Han Fulai has seen it all: when they lose at football betting, they curse the referee for being biased; when they lose at e-sports betting, they say it's all match-fixing... In short, for gamblers, winning means they have brilliant insight, and losing means the whole world is playing them—who knows how many people like this are sitting in the audience now?

Therefore, he must demonstrate the superior strength from beginning to end, and even if Marvin hands over the championship to him, he absolutely cannot accept it.

"I also have a suggestion..." Han Fu looked at Marvin and said sincerely, "Since you wrote twenty-four love poems and a song for your lover, then I will follow the rules of this 'drinking game'. You recite one poem, and I will compose a poem on the spot to respond to you. Hmm, let's call my part 'Twenty-Four Love Poems and a Song of Hope' as my congratulatory gift to you two, how about it?"

In the current atmosphere, forcing a match between Han Fulai and Marvin would be offensive, but turning the outcome into a blessing for the newlyweds would be a noble and romantic act. More importantly, this would put Han Fulai back in the spotlight in the final, and people would give him a thumbs up when they talk about the match in the future.

We want both appearances and substance.