He changed Tiwat

His response was: "You're wrong. Killing for the sake of justice is justice itself."

First, cut; second, slash; third, pierce. In this way, the knight upheld his justice throughout the years of war.

In the end, the Bloodstained Knight could no longer distinguish whether the pervasive smell of blood was from the enemy's splatter on him or from his own.

He finally understood that in his long battles, his chivalry had transformed the once pure white knight into a terrifying demon.

The only ones who followed him were the crows that came following his blood-stained footprints.

—The knight who forever thirsted for justice was ultimately stained black with filth and blood…

The knight, stained with blood, realized there was no place for him on earth. On his pilgrimage to uphold justice, he followed the trail of the monsters and found the ancient kingdom that had been destroyed.

He decided to venture deep into the destroyed ancient kingdom and die in the cradle of monsters.

Deep underground, he finally discovered the greatest injustice...

In the darkness, Han Fulai heard the former "Pure White Knight" make a vow to the heavens in his hoarse, deep voice:

"The great ancient country has been unjustly punished."

"The people of this great ancient country have been distorted into monsters."

"How can my code of chivalry tolerate such injustice?"

"If the abyss is its name, then I pledge my allegiance to the abyss!"

From that moment on, Knight Roland completely abandoned humanity.

Han Fulai opened his eyes again.

He no longer wanted to pay attention to that familiar headache; the wind rushing past his ears made his mind exceptionally clear, enough to dispel that slight discomfort.

He is currently in a tall watchtower.

The watchtower at Windsor Hill, located in the northeasternmost corner of Mondstadt, is guarded by the Fender family, who appeared in the "Flying Champions" competition.

Even amidst the "Dark Calamity," the Fender House's "Watchmen" remained steadfast in their posts. Five hundred years later, the watchtower once again fulfilled its function, sounding the horn of an approaching storm throughout Mondstadt.

Acting head of the delegation, Rustan, came to the scene after receiving this news.

A storm did indeed break out at sea.

But it's not just about storms.

Despite being far away, Han Fulai immediately recognized the dark figure that was coming with the storm.

The creation of Rhinedoth, the dragon slumbering in the Dragonspine Mountains, indirectly caused the "Dragon Plague" five hundred years later, the culprit, the demonic dragon Durin.

Judging from its direction of travel, its destination is probably Mondstadt.

The main force of the Knights was still on an expedition, while the remaining troops were tied up by the Beast Hounds and the Ruins Guards, leaving them with no strength to fight the incoming dragon.

—In fact, even if Erendellin led the main force of the Knights to the scene, he might not dare to say that he could withstand this dragon.

Han Fu looked up at the sky over Mondstadt. The sky was overcast, as if it were about to rain, just like the day he first met Rosalind.

He now knows how Rustam died.

Chapter 320: Revealing Ancient Things (13)

The massacre on the night of the expedition had already shown Han Fulai just how powerful the "young wolf" Rustan was five hundred years ago.

Calling him the "Mondstadt Sword Immortal" wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Han Fulai had witnessed the alchemical monsters and war weapons that invaded the continent of Teyvat in the "Dark Calamity" both in the game and in reality.

Neither the "Bleeding Dog" nor the "Ruins Guardian" are a match for a powerful being who wields the "Wind-Slaying Sword".

While ordinary knights might be injured in melee combat or be surrounded by the enemy's numerical superiority and die, Rustan would never have such concerns.

The sword energy of the "Wind-Slaying Sword" is incredibly powerful. It can envelop oneself or one's weapon to enhance defense, and can also be released from a distance to subdue enemies. It is truly versatile, capable of both offense and defense, with no blind spots.

Furthermore, the "Sword of Wind Slash" is powered by the "True Technique" as its core principle—this "power from beyond the world" allows people to explosively increase their strength in a short period of time by burning their life force, even to the point of being able to rival demons in human form.

In the Abyss of the Rocky Mountains, Ye Mingxiang, the last surviving member of the Kanria royal family, Dainsleb, the "End of Light" of the Kanria Royal Guard, and Jiang Xue, the "Star of Destruction" of Liyue... have all made him deeply experience the power of the "True Arts".

Of course, Rustan's "West Wind Sword Technique" is not the original "True Technique" after all, and it is very likely not a direct descendant of the Kanria royal family. It may not be comparable to Daines Reb and the others, but Han Fulai felt that Rustan was at least no worse than Jiang Xue.

Moreover, like Jiang Xue, he is a holder of the Eye of God who can use elemental power, with physical qualities far exceeding those of ordinary people, and relatively more means of survival. Speaking of which, Rustan's Eye of God is known for its strong mobility and is a wind-type.

Most importantly, Rustam himself was by no means the inflexible knight model he appeared to be.

As the leader of an underground organization and the "Hero of the Night" from five hundred years ago, Rustan would not abide by the rules and regulations of chivalry.

He will not hesitate to use any means necessary when necessary.

This is the same person who, without a trace of emotion, ordered the extermination of the old noble families, burning down the path for commoners in Mondstadt to rise in rank; this is also the same person who, during the "Dark Calamity," implemented a scorched-earth policy in Mondstadt, conveniently taking back the lands and interests that had been stripped of them by the old noble families over the past five hundred years and bringing them under the control of the Knights Order.

If Han Fu were to describe the "young wolf" Rustan, he would say it was a "wolf in sheep's clothing." Intelligent, resilient, and ruthless, it was like the wolf king living in the Wolf Territory.

It's terrifying to be an enemy of someone like that.

Han Fulai found it hard to imagine what kind of monster could kill Rustan.

If you can't beat them, can't you just run away? This guy isn't some hot-blooded fool; he definitely won't do something as stupid as trying to be a hero.

He was Rustan, who always believed in having a backup plan.

But this time, Rustam cannot back down.

The dragon rising from the sea has already heralded the end of the wolf.

Although Mondstadt's lands are vast, Rustan has nowhere to retreat; Mondstadt lies behind him.

In Mondstadt, there are hundreds of thousands of subjects entrusted to him by Erendel, and the future he wants to protect.

Rustan is the only person on the watchtower now.

Only the warhorse tethered at the bottom of the tower kept the lone wolf company.

Rustan came without any retinue this time—ordinary knights were no match for a dragon, and bringing them would only increase casualties.

It was only at this moment that Han Fulai realized why the acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, the renowned "Knight of the North Wind," had no one by his side to witness his death on the battlefield.

History records only this passage regarding the end of this "young wolf"—

The stench of calamity that befell the ancient kingdom finally reached this land, and the pastoral songs that once floated on the joyful wind were torn apart by the roar of the poisonous dragon, the earth-shaking footsteps of the demons, sighs, and flames.

The wind god, who did not wish to become king, heard the cries of anguish. To protect the verdant fields blessed by the gentle winds—a dream of his deceased friend—he awoke from his long slumber and fought alongside the azure dragon of the sky…

Meanwhile, knights and their orders also fought for their land and homeland.

While the venomous dragon perished on the frozen mountain, and the azure dragon slumbered in the ancient city of the spire, the knight bled to death in the valley.

"When the venomous dragon perished on the frozen mountain, and the azure dragon slumbered in the ancient city of the spire, the knight bled to death in the valley."

It was just a simple sentence, with no prior details, as if Rustan had died silently.

Han Fulai is now finally able to glean from this historical record a thrilling battle.

Dulin attacked from the sea northeast of Mondstadt, its target being Mondstadt itself, but it ultimately perished in the Dragonspine Mountains southwest of Mondstadt.

Why did Dulin change course?

What exactly happened in between that caused it to traverse the entirety of Mondstadt and ultimately perish in the snowy mountains?

The answer lies in this hero who died silently in the "valley" five hundred years ago.

Mondstadt has two famous valleys, one called "Dadaupa Valley" and the other "Sleeping Dragon Valley". Regardless of which valley Rustan ultimately died in, it was along the Dragon Ridge mountain range.

It was he who lured Durin away from the heart of Mondstadt, leading the dragon all the way to Dragonspine.

This is a battle between one man and a dragon.

He was facing the demon dragon Durin, who was capable of taking on the combined might of Barbatos, the god of wind, and Dvalin, the dragon king of wind!

Because of his trip to the snow-capped mountains with Abedo, Han Fulai even knew that Dulin was just a newborn "infant" at that time, and its battle with Tvalin was more like "playing" for Dulin...

Even among demon gods, Dulin's strength would probably be among the strongest.

It must have been during this battle that Rustan used the "True Art" that burned his life force, which allowed him to hold off the dragon and hold out until the wind god Barbatos awoke and Dvalin arrived to provide support.

Now, Han Fulai faces a choice—should he follow the story of Rustan in history, burning his own life to lure away the dragon, or simply let the dragon pass by?

He knew perfectly well from beginning to end that it was a dream, that history had already been set, and that whatever he did in the dream would not change history.

Even if he were to let the dragon Durin pass by here, allowing Durin's putrid poison to spread throughout Mondstadt, it wouldn't harm Mondstadt in the slightest in reality. As for chivalry and a sense of responsibility to protect one's homeland, those are out of the question in a dream.

In addition, he had another reason why he absolutely had to save his life.

He was now quite certain that Yura's consciousness, like his, was attached to Rustan.

Chapter 321: Revealing Ancient Things (14)

The first dream was too short, and Han Fulai was unable to obtain any useful clues in the chaotic situation of just "traveling" through time. However, after experiencing the second, relatively long dream, he had gathered enough information to make a judgment.

Han Fulai was able to determine that Yura's consciousness was also attached to Rustan for three reasons.

Reason one: This dream is based on Rustan, or rather, Rustan's memories.

Rustan is the "protagonist" of this dream.

The dream scene has changed twice, and this is the third dream, but Rustan's position as the "first-person perspective" remains unchanged.

If a TV series has three seasons or a novel has three hundred chapters, and the main perspective is always on the same person, then that person must be the protagonist.

Most human dreams are from a first-person perspective, and people generally treat them as their own personal experiences. Some people dream of becoming someone else, or even of being a ghost-like, intangible consciousness. Of course, a small number of people have the experience of "watching a movie" from a God's-eye view.

But regardless of the perspective, there is always a "primary perspective" in a dream.

From a first-person perspective, it's like a camera hanging on a person's face;

From God's perspective, it's just a camera hanging on the ceiling;

Regardless of the type of camera, there always needs to be one, an observer watching what happens in the dream. Without an observer, the dream loses its meaning.

The observer of this dream is the person who is dreaming; they are the true subject that constitutes the dream.

Since Rustan is the protagonist of this dream, it is most likely that Yura's consciousness, the observer of this dream, follows Rustan.

Reason two: Dreams are trials given by Wendy, and trials must have solutions.

Wendy shouldn't and couldn't possibly do something like leaving his consciousness in Mondstadt and then sending Yola to Inazuma; such a trial is unsolvable for him. Yola, as the subject of the dream, should also be in Mondstadt.

Currently, Yura, who is not fully conscious, is in one of two situations: either an immersive experience of living someone else's life from a first-person perspective, or a God-like experience of watching a movie as a spectator; regardless of the experience, Yura's "camera" must be in Mondstadt within this dream world.

Assuming Yura's consciousness is playing a role from a first-person perspective, changing identities with each dream transition would be very detrimental to immersion, or rather, "getting into character." Fixing Yura's consciousness on a specific person is the easiest way to immerse her in the dream.

If we assume that Yura's consciousness is watching this "movie" from a god-like perspective, then the film's camera work should also have a narrative perspective to allow the audience to understand the storyline and the plot. Random, disjointed camera cuts will only confuse the audience.

The third and most important reason is that at the end of the previous dream, Han Fulai figured out the reason for the scene change.

The reason, of course, is Yura's will.

Whether Yura was the protagonist from a first-person perspective or an audience member from a god-like perspective... in any case, the moment she, as Rustan, killed the old nobleman Sir Roland, Yura's consciousness called "Cut" to that dream.

He could understand to some extent why Yura shouted "Cut"—because the old nobleman's behavior was so much like Yura's uncle Schubert, both exuding the same antiquated aristocratic air, both stubborn and unwilling to admit defeat, and even their appearances were somewhat similar.

For Yura, this was tantamount to killing Schubert in a dream.

This is probably what awakened a bit of Yura's consciousness.

Working backwards, the reason for the first scene change is probably because... Rustam and Rosalind's passionate kiss was too stimulating for Yura, a pure and innocent girl...?

Following this line of reasoning, awakening Yura's consciousness is likely not as simple as just calling her name in front of a mirror. Yura may not even know who she is in her dream.

He had to do something to "excite" Yora.

—Well, actually, he had considered some rather inappropriate "stimulating methods" in his mind, but this dream was, after all, a trial given by the Wind God, so using that kind of method... wouldn't be suitable...

However, Venti had already hinted at the orthodox "conditions for clearing the game" that Venti, the god of wind, would acknowledge:

"The wind god Barbatos will not define what a 'wind flower' is. A flower of blessing, a flower of reverence, a flower of deep love. Everyone will have their own 'wind flower,' and everyone has the right to define it freely. — This is my hint to you, and also my trial for you: Go into her dream and find the 'wind flower.'"

Find the "Flower of the Wind".

"Wind Flower" is not a real flower; everyone has the right to define it freely.

The right to define this "flower of the wind" probably belongs to the main body of this dream, namely, to Yura.

He had to figure out what the "Flower of Wind" in Yura's heart was, then find it and use it to completely awaken Yura's consciousness.

This is truly the biggest problem.

This means he has to delve into Yura's heart and become the person who understands Yura the most...

Honestly, he didn't think he knew Yura very well.