He changed Tiwat

Chapter 345 How can they be the same?

Sgroove was a little confused.

Han Fulai's words... sound like they make some sense, don't they?

Well, the past is the past, and the present is the present, so being a treasure-hunting gang in the past doesn't mean they are a treasure-hunting gang now... Sounds reasonable, right?

Wait, if that's the case... Sgroch's eyes darted around, and he suddenly pounced at Han Fulai's feet: "Sir Knight! If I quit the Treasure-Hunting Gang now, can you forgive and forget about it?"

Gianna's earlier comment that Sgroci was "shameless" was a very accurate assessment.

Han Fulai smiled and said, "How can they be the same?"

"Huh?" Sgroove was confused again. "How is it different?"

Han Fulai squatted down and looked at Sgroch with a kind and friendly expression.

"You got this beating because you extorted Sister Giliana. Whether you're a member of the heist group or not is irrelevant, and I don't care... but you're using the most important person in her life to threaten her, and that's very important. And most importantly, I can't stand it, understand?"

A few months ago, Han Fulai, who was all alone, might not have spoken like this, but now, he has many important people in this world. Just imagining someone using them to threaten him makes him feel a cold anger rising in his heart.

Sgroove had no idea what he had done to offend the passing knight, but he could tell that the knight was not going to let him go. What could he do but beg for mercy?

Yura then pulled out a chain from her personal storage space and waved it at Sgroch. As a guerrilla knight, she always carried these kinds of items for capturing criminals.

"Are you going to put them on yourself, or do you want me to beat you up again before I handcuff you?"

“Little one, little one, do it yourself…” Sgroch said with a mournful face, surrendering himself.

At this moment, Sister Giliana, who had been silently bowing her head, suddenly spoke up: "My lords knights... I... I would like to ask you to spare them!"

Yura and Han Fulai turned to look at her at the same time, only to see the nun suddenly kneel down in front of them with a "thump": "Please, you two..."

Han Fu glanced at the bushes behind him; Mondstadt's Anemo Archon was pretending to be offline... Of course, Venti was just a bard joining in the fun right now.

He actually understood what Gianna was thinking—if Yura captured these members of the treasure-hunting group and brought them back to the Knights, Gianna's past as a member of the group would be exposed, and she would no longer be able to continue as a nun. Moreover, her husband and children would also find out about this.

Gianna was blackmailed by Sgroch because she was afraid her family would find out. Having these people arrested was actually the worst possible outcome for Gianna…

But what will the guerrilla squad leader of the Knights of Favonius do?

Yura slammed her greatsword into the ground, startling the members of the treasure-hunting group, including Gianna.

"...Since the parties involved have expressed their understanding, I can let you off the hook, but...you must leave behind all your tools of the crime and the stolen money." She coldly glanced at the petty thieves, who hurriedly took off their weapons and wallets and threw them on the ground.

Regardless of whether it's stolen money or not, if the knight says so, then it is.

Yura glanced at them again.

"Get lost. Don't let me run into you again."

The thieves didn't dare linger. They quickly helped their injured companion up and scrambled away. Although Sgrochi was the most seriously injured, he was the fastest runner...

Watching those guys run off into the distance, Yura went up and helped Giliana up.

"Thank you all... and to the other person, please accept my thanks as well... thank you..."

Gianna burst into tears, bowing repeatedly to the two men in gratitude, and even bowing to the bushes where they had previously hidden.

"Oh dear, have we been spotted?" Wendy, who had been watching the show for a while, stood up from the bushes.

Yura curled her lip: "I told you two coming here would expose us, see!"

Gianna quickly waved her hand to defend Han Fulai and Wendy: "No... actually, I noticed when Captain Yura arrived..."

Wendy covered her mouth, not daring to laugh out loud in front of Yura.

Yura was stunned for a moment, unsure of who to vent her anger on.

Gianna quickly explained, "You've hidden very well, but your shawl could easily rub against the bushes... I used to be in the treasure-hunting group, where I was responsible for exploring ruins and secret realms. Constantly observing the environment is a basic requirement... However, I only knew that 'someone was hiding in the bushes nearby.' At first, I thought it was Sgroch lying in ambush with his men there. I never expected it to be you."

As she spoke, she was about to kneel down again.

Yura quickly helped her up, no longer caring about losing face.

Han Fulai had already helped gather up the money bags belonging to the treasure-hunting group on the ground and handed them to Gianna.

In reality, these members of the heist group didn't have much money on them, and probably couldn't recover the losses Gianna had suffered from being extorted.

Gianna hesitated for a long time before wiping her eyes and accepting the "stolen money."

“Lily was pestering me for a present this morning… Her birthday is coming up soon… When I save up some money, I will donate it back to the church.”

No one doubted that the nun would squander the money; her love for her family couldn't be more genuine.

Wendy smiled and said, "You love your daughter very much."

When her daughter was mentioned, Gianna's expression softened considerably: "Yes, that's right... I've been through a lot of... mistakes. Fortunately, I eventually got through it, had a family, and most importantly... Lily."

Han Fulai then spoke up, "Could you tell us the whole story? Perhaps we can help you. Also, I'm actually quite concerned about their attempt to steal the church's treasures."

—When Sgroch threatened Gianna, he mentioned that he wanted her to use her identity as a priestess to steal the "Sky Harp" from the church.

Although such matters were naturally handled by the Knights and the Church and were not his place to interfere, he did notice something amiss in this "extortion case."

Yura chimed in, "Letting them go this time is risky; there's no guarantee there won't be a next time. While I'll keep it a secret for you, as a Knight of Favonius, fighting crime and protecting the safety of Mondstadt's inhabitants is also part of my duty."

Hearing this, Giliana nodded and, without further ado, told them everything: "Years ago, I wandered around as a member of a treasure-hunting gang. Sometimes I would go into the city to gather information, sometimes I would go into the wilderness to swindle passersby, and sometimes I would dig up ruins with other members of the gang..."

"It was a life of unparalleled freedom... yet also of unparalleled emptiness. Making money, squandering it, then being forced to find ways to make money again, and squandering it again... Everyone in the treasure-hunting group said they were very happy, but no one could escape this vicious cycle."

"Until I met Rudolf..."

Chapter 346 May the Wind God Protect You

When talking about her lover Rudolph, Gianna's round face showed a hint of shyness.

"When I met him, I pretended to be a stranded traveler who had been robbed, hoping to swindle some money from him... But that fool, who clearly didn't have much money himself, gave me all the Mora he had... Seeing that I was dressed lightly, he even took off his clothes and gave them to me..."

“I… didn’t want to be part of the Treasure Thieves anymore. So I secretly left the group and fled to Mondstadt with Rudolf. To avoid being discovered by my former comrades, I lived a secluded life and even deliberately altered my physique… to look like this now. Rudolf doesn’t mind at all…”

"We had Lily... With another person in the family, things were even more difficult. For the sake of the child, and so that Rudolf wouldn't have to struggle alone to make ends meet, I started looking for work in Mondstadt. But someone like me, who grew up in the wilderness making a living with treasure-hunting gangs, knew almost nothing about legitimate work, and couldn't do anything well..."

“I had a very difficult time in the city, and even considered secretly returning to my old ways… In my confusion, I went to church and confided my troubles to the nuns. Sister Victoria told me, ‘As long as you keep moving forward, one day God will hear you and acknowledge your will.’”

“I think that I was able to meet Rudolf, have such a lovely child, and have such a happy family, all thanks to Lord Barbatos’s blessing. I’ve heard that some people have received the ‘Eye of God’ they’ve always dreamed of after expressing their wishes… And Lily is, to me, the crystallization of my wish, just like the ‘Eye of God’, perhaps even more precious.”

"So I asked Sister Victoria to take me in and became a nun who believed in Barbatos, responsible for helping and guiding everyone who believed in Barbatos."

At this point, Sister Giliana clasped her hands together and offered another prayer to Barbatos.

Barbatos himself chuckled and snapped his fingers, and a gentle breeze swept away the dust from Giliana's white robes.

The nun praying in the wind suddenly seemed to possess a touch of holiness.

After praying, Gianna finally got to the point—

“A while ago, around the time the city started preparing for the ‘Badminton Festival,’ that guy Sgroch mingled with the tourists and came into the city, and found me. He threatened me, saying he would report my past as a member of the Treasure Thieves to the Church and the Knights, and force me to pay him money.”

“I was terrified and didn’t want to lose my life… so I agreed to give him the money. He extorted money from me every Sunday, and his demands kept growing. Recently, he even wanted me to steal treasures from the church for him… I didn’t want to betray Lord Barbatos, so I firmly refused. Then he asked me for even more money…”

"Today was the day I was supposed to pay him, and I was all set, but... this morning, Rudolf gave me a holiday present, and inside the present..."

As Gianna spoke, she pulled a small bag tied with a ribbon from her person.

She emptied the contents of the bag into her hand: small cards with hearts drawn on them, beautiful flowers, cosmetics that women like... and a silver badge.

“This is it… ‘Tibetan Silver Raven Seal’…” Gianna handed the silver badge to the three of them to examine. The back of the badge also had Gianna’s initials.

“This is the ‘Treasure-Hunting Crow Mark’ I used to have in the treasure-hunting gang. It was a symbol of status and identity for members of the gang…”

“I think it must be that Sgroch telling me that he can hide this in the gift Rudolf gave me so he can do whatever he wants to Rudolf and Lily... He wants to force me to do things he shouldn't do. If I keep putting up with this, I'll definitely break down, so... so I arranged to meet him outside the city and confront him completely.”

"No matter what the outcome, I'm prepared..."

"What happened next, you all saw."

For Gianna, revealing these secrets kept deep in her heart was undoubtedly a form of "confession." Gianna's expression at this moment held a hint of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

Although the problem has not been completely resolved, at least the mental stress has been greatly reduced.

After listening to Gianna's "confession," Han Fulai nodded and asked her another question: "Did your husband Rudolf tell you where those gifts were bought?"

Obviously, the raven mark couldn't have appeared out of thin air in the gift bag, and since it was an important gift for his beloved wife, Rudolf probably wouldn't have let anyone touch it casually.

The most reasonable explanation for the raven's mark appearing in the gift bag is that when Rudolf bought the gift, the shop assistant put it directly into the bag.

Gianna tilted her head and thought for a moment before replying, "He said he consulted some kind friends before choosing these gifts, and the gifts also contain the sentiments of those friends... Miss Marjorie from 'The Wind of Glory,' Sarah from 'The Deer Hunter,' Mr. Quinn from the fruit stand, and Miss Violet, a believer who often comes to church to pray..."

Upon hearing Vera's name, Han Fulai smiled—the kind of smile that Yura recognized so well that it made him want to touch her.

“I see. Miss Giliana, please rest assured, you and your family will be alright, this matter is over. So…” His voice suddenly became much more serious, “Miss Giliana, please don’t do anything foolish again, go back to your family and stay with them.”

“Eh…” Gilliana was stunned for a moment. She felt as if the honorary knight in front of her could see through everything she had kept in her heart.

As a former member of the treasure-hunting gang, she knew their nature well; if they suffered a loss, they would only retaliate even more severely.

She begged Yura to let Sgroove and his men go so they wouldn't expose their past to their families. She also understood that only the dead could keep secrets forever.

Actually, telling these things to Yura and the others was also part of Giliana's "aftermath" arrangements. She believed that even if something happened to her, the Knights would not abandon Rudolf and Lily.

In other words, she had made up her mind to use the dagger in her hand to protect her family.

Once she returns home and settles her family, she will go alone into the wilderness to search for traces of her former companions, and then—silence them.

Han Fulai's earlier statement, "Don't do anything foolish," was referring to this very issue.

"Knight of Honor...is what you're saying true?"

Although Gianna was somewhat incredulous, her eyes were filled with hope—she had actually heard of the deeds of this honorary knight, and if it was the "Sir Humphrey" who was said to be feared even by the Fools... if he said it was alright, then it really was alright, right?

“Really, I assure you in the name of my honorary knight, Humphrey.” Han Fulai made a solemn promise to her, glancing to the side at the same time. “Besides, Lord Barbatos, the god of wind, will also bless his people, right?”

The green-clad bard also smiled and uttered the phrase every Mondstadt resident would say: "May the wind god protect you."

Night Mother and Heavenly Principle, Kanria and the Prince of Light

In this research, we mainly discuss the hidden information in "The White Princess and the Six Dwarfs"—the identity of the "Mother of Night," the identity of the "Prince of Light," and their connection with Canria and various symbolic meanings.

These are deeper background elements that Xiao Han couldn't draw conclusions about based on the existing information in this book. After all, he traveled through time in the Goddess Split version and didn't know the subsequent information, so I couldn't write them in the Mondstadt chapter. I'll just leave it at that for you readers. (This also serves as a record for the Great Prophet.)

The original text of "The White Princess and the Six Dwarfs" says this:

Long, long ago, the distant Land of Night was a desolate place shrouded in eternal night, devoid of any sign of life, save for hideous creatures lurking in the darkness. And the Night Mother, who ruled this land, was the source of all evil.

The cold-blooded Night Mother is neither eloquent nor heartless, but she always keeps her eyes wide open, observing the Kingdom of Night before unleashing cruel punishments without warning.

In this book, Xiao Han uses this description to speculate that the "Night Mother" is the embodiment of Heavenly Principle. The "Moonlight Forest," which rebels against the "Night Mother," can naturally be associated with the godless kingdom of Kanria. His deduction of the "Prince of Light's" identity is also based on the experiences of the rebels before version 2.4.

However, in reality, when miHoYo's writers were creating "The White Princess and the Six Dwarfs," they had already provided the answer for players through a character who appeared around the same time. And in version 4.2, they confirmed this answer once again.

This character, who harbors many secrets, is at least a remnant of an ancient demon god, and at the highest level, he could be connected to the "Primordial Four Shadows" and the "Goddess of March," and might even be linked to the Second Throne.

(Well, in fact, almost every character in Mondstadt has a deep backstory, except for the maid Noelle... Noelle is indeed completely detached from the main storyline, but of course, that doesn't change the fact that she's a good girl...)

Think about it, besides "The White Princess and the Six Dwarfs", where else in the game is "Night Country" mentioned?

——“Pure Land in the Night”.

Yes, the key character we're talking about here is none other than Fischl von Rufschloss Nafidott Amy, who appears to be a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur) on the outside but is actually the master of the Pure Land of Night and the Princess of Judgment!

I. Waltz in the Dark Night

The following story is recorded in Fischl's signature weapon, "Night Waltz":

"Miss, not a single tear shed during your pilgrimage will be in vain."

At the end of the pilgrimage to the Land of Eternal Silence, Oswaldo Hefnavan said this to the princess.

In their journey across an immeasurably long span of time, the "Princess of Judgment" and the "Black Raven Who Severs Day and Night" witnessed the end of countless stories. Every raindrop at the end of the journey flows into a bitter sea. Every youth's indignant anger finds its peace. Every passion, if not worn away by time, will eventually turn to obsession on the reversing ancient tree. The magnificent and great Republic of Rema, its branch on the Tree of Time, will eventually be pruned, making way for the territory of the other of the Twin Wolves.

Everything in this world will eventually perish and come to the princess's future land. In the silent, dark spirit garden, she will find a corner to slumber in.

Even so, when Drottuft betrayed the "Beast of the World" for the sake of the boy's dream and the raindrops that had not yet fallen, and was ultimately torn apart by its claws, the princess still shed tears.

"Remember this well, Oswald Hefnavans, the princess of the Night's Sanctuary does not cry."

She responded, "Who in this world is not a sinner? When the bells of judgment toll, the sarong of night will fall again. And the struggle of man and beast within it is but a waltz in the dark night."

"What you say is very true, Miss."

"Hmph, good that you understand."

"So, miss, do you remember this story—"

The fragrant sea of ​​the primordial universe shone brightly, while two of the three bright moons that stirred the beasts of the Kingdom of Aranya were shattered by the longsword that tore apart the edge of the world, turning them into fine sand that even the princess's demonic eyes could not see.

Perhaps it is like this: once illuminating a universe, bringing dreams and poetry to the slumbering beings of three worlds, and bringing the longing moon to the beasts wandering between dawn and dusk, it eventually turned into fine sand—but even so, it still wants to reside in the princess's eternally all-seeing bright eyes, bringing subtle light to more places.