He changed Tiwat

"I don't know," Yura shook her head.

There are tens of kilometers between Cape of Winds and the place where the wind rises. Even if the weather is clear today, the flight speed of the Windwing is affected by the wind direction and wind speed. It is not so easy to estimate.

"So what's the point of this match... is it the weather?" Han Fulai asked again.

Having heard the story of the "Watcher" Fender, Han Fulai was quite familiar with the competition format. To put it simply, it's the Mondstadt version of the "marathon".

The distance is similar to that of a marathon on Earth, except that it's a race using wings of wind.

But in marathons on Earth, there are cars following the runners and filming them, and the audience can watch the broadcast on a big screen... In Mondstadt, there is nothing so advanced. What can the audience do at the finish line except wait?

His question left Yura momentarily stunned.

Indeed, the previous "flying champion" competitions were more visually appealing because they were obstacle courses, and they were as exciting as aerial acrobatics for the audience—although they were riskier for the contestants.

Now that it's been changed to a long-distance race, safety is certainly guaranteed, but it's not so friendly to the spectators. Even if you crane your neck, you can't see people flying dozens of miles away, so what are the spectators watching?

Yura looked around and realized that only the two of them were staring blankly at the sky. The other spectators were clearly looking at people... some were walking hand in hand, others were whispering to each other with their heads close together—yes, Windrise is a popular dating spot, how many spectators are actually here to watch the game? Almost everyone here is a couple!

It's no wonder that Qin was still handling other work at this time. After all, this competition really didn't require the host to do anything. All she had to do was wait for the contestants to reach the finish line, tally their times, and then award the prizes...

It's too awkward for the two of them to just sit there looking at the sky. Shouldn't they start talking about something?

So... what should we talk about?

—Wait a minute, this feeling of a man and a woman going to a scenic spot to just sit there, and then having to rack their brains to find something to talk about...

A word suddenly popped into Yura's mind—an activity that, although she hadn't experienced herself, she had heard from veteran female members of the guerrilla squad, was something the Knights would organize for everyone to participate in after reaching a certain age.

A blind date?!

The moment she thought of that word, Yura's face turned bright red.

She jumped to her feet.

"...We can still cheer Amber on! Even if she can't hear us, our heartfelt support will definitely reach her!"

Just as she was about to shout encouragement, a low "whoosh" sound came from afar.

Chapter 288 Running, Faster Than Flying

It was the sound of a bugle.

The deep, mournful sound of the horn drifted from afar, accompanied by a fiery red figure appearing on the horizon.

"It's Amber!" Yura exclaimed excitedly, waving to Amber in the air.

Han Fulai also stood up and waved to Amber.

As expected of a three-time reigning "Mondstadt Flying Champion," Amber's talent in manipulating wind wings is unparalleled throughout the entire continent of Teyvat. Whether dodging obstacles or racing long distances, she is always in the lead.

It seems the title of "Flying Champion" is already secured.

Hearing the bugle call, many spectators became excited.

"I'm coming!"

"As expected, it's Amber again!"

"Honey, we can go to the Goethe Hotel for a big meal tonight!"

—Yes, the "Flying Champions" competition does have betting options. Although Amber's odds are as low as 1 to 1.01, as long as you're willing to place a bet, you can still earn enough for a meal.

Upon hearing the sound, Qin took out an exquisite pocket watch inlaid with the crest of the Gunnhild family from her bosom and checked the time.

Only one hour and twenty minutes have passed since the start of the race, and Amber's speed is approximately thirty kilometers per hour. Although it cannot compare to Fontaine's airship, it is still an astonishing speed for a non-powered hang glider.

Moreover, only Amber could be seen in the sky at the moment; the other contestants who took off at the same time as her were nowhere to be seen—meaning that she had fallen far behind the other contestants, by at least a kilometer.

Normally, under the same weather conditions, the gliding speed of the Windwing wouldn't vary this much. Although the rider's control over the Windwing does affect the speed to some extent, it shouldn't be enough to leave other riders this far behind.

Could it be... that there's a gust of wind blowing specifically behind her?

—Amber is truly pampered by the wind.

Qin nodded to the knights around her, and immediately two knights ran to the vicinity of the big oak tree and unfurled a ribbon—this was naturally the ribbon before the finish line, and whoever crossed this line would be the winner.

Another half minute passed before other competitors began to appear on the horizon, but Amber was already close to the finish line.

"Yura!" Amber in the sky could already see her friend cheering her on, excitedly calling out her best friend's name.

Yura responded to Amber in her usual way: "Amber—I'm here!"

The shout had a significant impact. Amber instinctively adjusted her posture and landed towards Yura. By the time Yura realized something was wrong and tried to change direction, it was too late.

Everyone watched in disbelief as the red-eared girl crossed the finish line and fell straight into the crowd of spectators behind her, accompanied by screams from the surrounding crowd.

Just as Amber was about to crash onto the heads of the audience, Jean rushed towards the direction where Amber was falling, her Anemo Eyes shining brightly as she unleashed several wind spells in an attempt to catch Amber.

But some people are even faster than Qin.

A figure in icy blue had already taken off into the air. Before Amber could land, the figure grabbed her waist, spun around in mid-air, touched the ground with its toes, and gently landed.

The movements were so elegant and beautiful, they were practically like a dance.

Amber was held in the arms of the newcomer in a princess carry and was not hurt at all.

Of course, it's Yura who can do this.

Several girls in the surrounding audience screamed, "Wow, so handsome!"

Han Fulai nodded silently—Yura's heroic rescue was really cool, especially her elegant movements and dignified posture... How to put it, is this what you call "prince-like"? "Overwhelming boyfriend power"?

For the first time, Amber, held in Yura's arms, understood what "heart-fluttering" meant, and the soft, bouncy touch on her cheek was quite intoxicating... However, Amber quickly remembered that she was still in the competition and hurriedly asked Yura to put her down.

Not crossing the finish line doesn't mean you've won.

Because of this unexpected delay, some runners have already closed the gap with Amber and are sprinting towards the finish line.

With the championship within her grasp about to slip away, Amber lowered her body, sprinted at full speed, and crossed the finish line ahead of her opponent—albeit in the opposite direction…

Han Fulai silently looked at the sky, then muttered to Wendy, who was probably watching the game, "Look, running is faster than flying..."

Since Amber had already crossed the finish line and was far ahead, the minor incident did not affect the result of the race—in some worlds, there are sprint stars who slow down before crossing the finish line, confidently turn around, and still win the championship with a large lead.

No one would disagree with this result; everyone could see Amber's lead.

Amber, who had won the "Flying Champion" title for three consecutive years, stood on the makeshift podium to receive her fourth "Mondstadt Flying Champion" title.

The person who presented her with the award was not the head of the piano ensemble, but Sister Fender, the twelfth generation successor of the Fender family and a member of the Church of the West Wind, who was the current "Watcher".

Although Miss Fender was a woman and had attended a church school from a young age to become a nun serving God, she still quietly chose the same duty as her father after she grew up, and went to stand guard alone on the watchtower at Cape Lookout.

Even though the Finder Watchmen haven't truly seen a storm for generations, each generation of Finder descendants still takes pride in this mission.

For Miss Fender, "watching" is also part of her faith, a manifestation of her loyalty to Lord Barbatos.

Miss Fender took out a windmill chrysanthemum, or more precisely, a medal woven from windmill chrysanthemums.

She pinned the unique medal to Amber's chest.

"Although Mondstadt has been free from storms since Lord Barbatos took his protection, and the watchtower has gradually fallen into disuse, I still can't help but want to go up to the watchtower to take a look."

"...Since it's a 'beacon fire,' it must yearn for the day it will burn. Even though I know the storm will never return, I still occasionally recall the stories my father told me about our ancestors sounding the horns in the midst of the storm, warning all of Mondstadt..."

“Thank you, Miss Amber. Thank you for bringing to light the deeds of my ancestors; for me, this is the best way to commemorate them.”

"This windmill chrysanthemum medal is a tradition of our Fender family. Before Lord Barbatos descended to protect us, my family used the growth of windmill chrysanthemums to judge the wind strength of a region. Seeing this windmill chrysanthemum is like seeing the wind god's blessing for peace and freedom. May the windmill chrysanthemums of Mondstadt always bloom in the gentle wind."

As soon as Miss Fender finished speaking, Qin stepped onto the podium to receive the award.

Facing the audience and tourists below the stage, Qin Lang made a powerful and resounding declaration:

"—To dedicate one's life as a 'beacon' to protect Mondstadt, always ready to spread the news of the approaching storm throughout the land. This is Lady Fender's duty, and it is the duty of every Knight of Favonius."

"Forever protect Mondstadt!"

The applause lasted for a long time.

Chapter 289 The Battle of the Wine Masters [4k]

After listening to the leader of the Qin Troupe's "Mondstadt Patriotism Speech", Han Fulai, Yura and Amber headed to the next arena, which was also the final of the three major events of the festival - "The Battle of the Wine Masters".

Han Fulai and Amber won their respective championships, so it can be said that the title of "Badminton Festival Princess" has now been awarded. Even if Kaia doesn't win the championship, it won't have a big impact. In fact, it doesn't matter whether you watch this match or not.

However, since Kaiya was also a teammate who participated in the competition with them, it was only natural for him to cheer on his teammate.

And to be honest, Han Fulai was actually quite interested in the "Battle of the Wine Giants" competition.

—Nobody has ever seen Kaiya drunk before, but maybe we'll see him today?

There is a large open space outside "Angel's Gift" with many tables and chairs, which was originally intended for guests to drink outdoors. The final of the "Drinking Contest" was held there.

When they arrived, the venue was already surrounded by layers of people, and the aroma of alcohol could be smelled from afar—many of the audience members had brought their own good wine, and they were betting on the wine while watching the game. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this "Battle of the Wine Masters" was a gathering of Mondstadt's wine lovers.

It was impossible to squeeze in now, so Amber took them to a "VIP seat".

If you were to ask what kind of spot Amber, the "scout knight" who's always flying in the sky, could find... well, it would be someone else's rooftop.

Amber skillfully led them to a nearby shop, then jumped from the shop's third-floor window onto the roof of the neighboring house. Her darting and leaping made Han Fulai feel a bit like he used to be a "traveler"—that's how players would search for treasure chests on rooftops.

Of course, in reality, no one in Mondstadt seems to be so idle as to leave treasure chests on their rooftops...

The three of them were jumping and hopping on the rooftops, the noise naturally alerting the homeowners. Several residents peeked out of their windows. However, upon spotting Amber, they immediately retreated back to their usual routines… Protests were useless; Amber had been roaming around on their rooftops like this since she was a child, and the residents were already used to it…

Amber did indeed find them a "premium seat"—directly facing the competition venue, with a wide view and the sounds from the arena clearly audible. There was also a fairly flat rooftop that could be used to place chairs—well, Amber still remembered how Han Fulai used "alchemy" to make chairs when he was in the snow mountain.

Sitting on the rooftop, without having to endure crowds and noise, watching the game was actually quite a nice experience.

Although he missed the opening, Han Fulai was able to understand the rules pretty well just by observing the situation on site.

The final of the "Beer Contest" is an elimination-style competition similar to a competitive eating contest. All the contestants sit in a row at a long table, with a stack of beer mugs arranged in a pagoda shape in front of each person. The contestants have to finish the beer in front of them within a specified time, and if they fail to finish it within the time limit, they will be judged as the losers.

Han Fulai counted the number of glasses; there were four tiers of wine glasses, totaling twenty glasses.

The use of beer is likely a result of the organizers' considerations regarding cost and competitiveness. If they had provided each competitor with those fine vintage wines, "Angel's Gift" would probably have cost them tens of millions of Mora...

Although beer isn't very strong and can't be considered a spirit, drinking so many glasses can still make you drunk. In fact, even drinking water for twenty glasses in one go would make you feel bloated, let alone alcohol. Anyway, Han Fu figured he couldn't win the competition without using his magical powers to cheat.

But for the five contestants present, this amount of alcohol seemed to be just an "appetizer".

The five contestants sitting on the scene were none other than the legendary "Four Heavenly Kings of Mondstadt Wine".

Starting from the far left, the burly man is the "rough-witted vendor," the fruit stand owner, Quinn;

The young man in the green adventurer's uniform is the "naive adventurer," Jack, the apprentice adventurer.

The middle-aged man with cat ears is naturally the "hunter of strange ears," Diona's alcoholic father, Duraf;

The only female contestant was Margaret from the Cat Tail Tavern, the "unemployed landlady" Han Fulai had met in the team leader's office who had asked Qin to come looking for the cat.

Yes, of course, there's also the "fifth of the Four Heavenly Kings," Kaiya.

The way these five people drank was quite distinctive in its own way.

Quinn lived up to his nickname, being quite boisterous. He would raise his glass and gulp down one glass after another, as if pouring water.

Adventurer Jack appeared somewhat shy, holding his wine glass with both hands as if afraid of dropping it, but he drank it down quite quickly.

Dulaf, on the other hand, was very much like the hunters of Springvale. He would first pour the wine into the leather bag he carried with him, and then drink the wine in the bag in one gulp.

Margaret, on the other hand, drinks in a very feminine way, sipping slowly and appearing rather quiet—yet her alcohol tolerance is unfathomable.

As for Kaiya, he had the air of a refined gentleman at the table, always following a four-step process with each glass: first, observe the color; second, swirl the glass; third, smell the aroma; and fourth, taste. He would leisurely complete these four steps, and the glass would be empty in no time.

The person responsible for notarizing the contestants' results was also an acquaintance, Charles, the professional bartender at "Angel's Gift".

All the beer used in today's competition was prepared by this bartender. With his more than ten years of experience in the industry, he guarantees that every contestant will receive the same type and quantity of beer, with absolutely no deviation.

Every time a contestant finishes a layer of the wine tower, the bartender will come over and collect the empty glass—he does this whenever these contestants drink at the bar, and he's very familiar with the process.

In addition, he would also be responsible for observing whether these contestants were cheating, such as secretly spitting out their drinks or using elemental powers to sober up. His eyes, which had seen countless people at the bar, would never miss any violations.

Before long, all five contestants had finished the beer tower in front of them.

Charles raised his hand to the host sitting at the other end, indicating that this round of the competition was over and that the process was completely in accordance with the rules.

The gray-haired man, who was serving as both host and judge, pressed the mechanical clock on the table.

The gray-haired man was Eze, the executive chairman of the Mondstadt wine guild and the head of the Dawn Winery.

Basically, when Diluc went to become the "Hero of the Night," the winery's business operations were handled by this person in charge, who was also the winery's manager. Given Dawn Winery's status in the Mondstadt wine industry, managing the winery's business was not much different from managing the entire wine guild. Lord Diluc disliked being in the public eye, so this person, Azer, served as the executive chairman of the wine guild.

The wines used in this "Wine Showdown" competition were all sponsored by Château de Dawn, so the competition was naturally hosted by people from the winery.

Eze glanced at the mechanical clock in front of him and frowned.

Miss Margaret, who drank the slowest, took only fifteen minutes; the half-hour time limit was probably too lenient for these people.