He changed Tiwat

—Her true identity is actually Ishtar, the "Time Ruler" who once ruled Mondstadt alongside Venti and then mysteriously disappeared from history!

Honestly, even Han Fulai himself found this conjecture somewhat unbelievable.

How could the Ice God, one of the seven rulers of the mortal world, be replaced without a sound? How could the maintainers of justice and the other gods not notice? And if the Ice God's personality has changed drastically, what about the people of Winter's End? Why is a god who "can neither love nor be loved" followed by the people of Winter's End who are willing to sacrifice their lives for him?

Of course, there is also the most important question—assuming this conjecture is really the truth, why would Istaru replace the Ice God?

Or rather, why Ice God, and not someone else?

These questions must be clarified.

So when Han Fulai met Abedo today, he deliberately probed him indirectly—after all, Abedo was a copy of the "Primordial One," and had even traveled with Rhinedot across Teyvat, so he might know some secrets that others didn't. Intelligence, after all, needs to be verified from multiple sources.

While Aberdo's answer was somewhat surprising, it was not disappointing.

Han Fulai not only confirmed once again that the ice god Barnabas from 500 years ago was indeed the "god of love", but also obtained new clues.

Abedo said that the Ice God may have died, and even suggested that the climate of the Winter Kingdom might be related to the Ice God's death, with permafrost as evidence...

This is indeed a very important clue.

As far as Han Fulai knew, the seven ruling gods of the mortal realm all possessed the power to move mountains and fill seas, changing the terrain. Even Venti, who was once the weakest of the seven gods, was able to transform Mondstadt's climate from severe cold to spring-like all year round. So why didn't the Ice Goddess, who loved him, create a more livable environment for her people?

Or is it that, like the "salt of the earth," the frigid ground of the Winter Solstice is actually the residue left behind by a dead demon god? The one who sat in the Winter Solstice Palace in place of the Ice God did not possess any power related to the ice element, so she could not change the frigid climate of the Winter Solstice?

—To expand on this further, the Fatui were founded five hundred years ago, and some of the Fatui executives who received the "authority" bestowed by the Ice Queen are at least five hundred years old, such as Rosalind, the lover of the "Young Wolf" Rustan from five hundred years ago.

Does this mean that the Ice Queen actually possesses "authority" in the realm of "time"?

Chapter 369 Water is Flowing Ice

"Didn't you know? The 'Ice Queen' was known as the 'Goddess of Love' five hundred years ago."

After hearing Abedo's words, Han Fulai remained silent for a long time.

His silence made Aberdo somewhat embarrassed.

Kind-hearted Abedo began to reflect on his earlier question, realizing that his surprised tone had indeed been somewhat hurtful to the other person's pride...

Timaus would fall silent like this every time his lab report was critiqued by Abedo, no, it should be said that he became withdrawn... This is probably an occupational hazard of scholars and teachers.

So he sincerely apologized to Han Fulai: "I'm sorry... I didn't mean you were ignorant. After all, that happened five hundred years ago, and the Ice God's image in the mortal world has changed a lot since then, so it's understandable that you didn't know..."

Han Fulai then snapped out of his daze and quickly waved his hand, "I was just a little distracted... but the information you just provided is really important to me. Do you know anything else about the Ice God?"

"Actually, I don't know that much... but if it's useful to you..."

Abedo pondered for a moment, then took out his sketchbook and began a new sketch.

Han Fulai curiously approached him and discovered that Abedo was not drawing figures or landscapes, but rather some abstract patterns—graphics representing the seven elements of the Teyvat continent.

After Abedo drew the seven-element symbol, he added phonetic symbols to it, but the phonetic symbols he used were not Mongolian or German, or even the language of any of the seven countries.

But Han Fulai happened to recognize this special language...

"Why is it Chuqiu language?" He looked at Abedo with a puzzled expression.

Abedo's face showed a slight surprise: "So you also understand Chuqiu language?"

He had only returned to Mondstadt yesterday and had not seen Han Fulai's performance in the poetry competition, so he naturally did not know that the person in front of him could even sing in Hilichurl.

"I only know a few simple words... especially swear words..."

Han Fulai honestly admitted that his English proficiency was at most at level four, and he probably wouldn't pass level six.

Although he sang a song called "Qiuqiu Ballad" in Qiuqiu language during the competition, that was thanks to Master Hu. If you really asked him to compose a song in Qiuqiu language, he definitely couldn't do it.

"I thought only the Musk family would be interested in the Hilichurls' language... Although Hilichurls don't have much use in modern human society, as a language left over from an ancient civilization, it's very helpful for us to understand the nature of this world..."

As Aberdo spoke, he made the final stroke on his sketchbook.

"Yes, simple words are enough to explain the problem. Please look here..."

In the sketchbook, the icons of the seven elements are arranged in a circular pattern, and each element is accompanied by its phonetic transcription in Hilichurl language:

"Fire Element (Celi)"

"Grass Element (Gusha)"

"Movo (Wind Element)"

"Rock Element (Sada)"

"Lightning Element (Nini)"

"Ice Element (Lata)"

"Water Element (Movo Lata)"

Abedo pointed to an element with his pen: "I think you should have noticed that there is a very special element among them."

Han Fulai nodded: "Hmm... The other six elements all have their own proper nouns, but only the water element is a combination of the roots of wind and ice. If we translate it literally, water in the eyes of Hilichurls is 'flowing ice,' right?"

Han Fulai was deeply impressed by Ella Musk's "legitimate little girl" Ella, who repeatedly recited those few Hilichurl poems containing "Movo Lata" during the "Poetry Recitation" competition.

It's normal for the word "water" to appear frequently in everyday conversations, since water is a common element in life and an essential commodity for sustaining life.

Hilichurls also need to drink water—although they won't die without eating or drinking because of their "undying curse," they are obviously happier if they have food and water.

Abedo glanced at Han Fulai noncommittally, offering no comment on whether his statement was correct, but instead posed another question: "Why is water 'flowing ice'?"

“Uh…” This question made Han Fulai pause for a moment. “Although this statement is indeed a bit strange, I guess it might be because Hilichurls observed that ice and snow melted and turned into water in their lives, so they called it ‘flowing ice’?”

“Then why don’t they call it ‘melting ice,’ like ‘Celi Lata’? And why don’t they call ice ‘frozen water’?” Abedo asked rhetorically.

"This..." Han Fulai, a non-professional Chuqiu language scholar, was once again rendered speechless by Abedogan.

The phrase "flowing ice" is indeed quite strange.

In terms of the three states of water, ice is "solid water," simply one form of water. As for molecular structure, water and ice are both H2O, there's no difference...

But Hilichurls don't understand chemistry, so arguing with them about this is pointless... right?

However, Aberdo did not think so.

"Actually, you said it backwards just now."

"You said it backwards?" Han Fulai raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, ice is essentially water, which is common knowledge that everyone knows. Anyone who observes life a little can come to this conclusion... Hilichurls certainly know this common knowledge as well."

Abedo flipped through a few pages of his sketchbook—a group of Hilichurls dancing around a large cauldron in the snowy mountains appeared in the sketchbook.

“You know, I’ve observed Hilichurls and drawn many sketches of them… As far as I know, their language, like that of humans, evolved from life experiences. Similarly, they recognize the importance of water as the ‘source of life.’ In fact, in Hilichurl tribes, the Water Hilichurl Shaman holds a very high position because it can heal its companions with water elementals.”

"Furthermore, Hilichurls also know some basic cooking skills. They can roast food over fire and boil snow in large pots to make soup... Of course, they've also seen water evaporate into steam when heated. Imagine if you were a simple-minded Hilichurl; you wouldn't know what that invisible and intangible 'wind' is, but you could see the white steam rising from the pot drifting away in the wind..."

"That's why I said you got it backwards."

Han Fulai suddenly realized: "You mean...?"

"Ah."

Abedo nodded and gave the answer: "The element of water (Movo Lata) is not a combination of the roots of wind (Movo) and ice (Lata)—in the Hilichurls' concept, it's the opposite: the element of water came first, and then the elements of ice and wind. Water freezes into ice, water evaporates into wind... So, it's not 'wind and ice make up water,' but rather 'water becomes wind and ice.'"

"In the Hilichurl language, wind and ice share the same origin."

Chapter 370 Ice is frozen wind

"So Hilichurls also play the word game of bards..."

This "word splitting method" instantly reminded Han Fulai of Mondstadt's "Lion of the South Wind" and "Dandelion Knight"—breaking down "dandelion" into "dan de lion" turns it into "lion's tooth," but they are essentially the same thing.

Although Abedo didn't know what he was lamenting, he continued, "In addition, as you know, there are a lot of polysemous words in Hilichurls. The words Movo and Lata, besides representing the elements of wind and ice, also have other meanings—such as movement and stillness, and life and death."

This is easy to understand. Wind is always moving, while ice is still. Life is about movement, so things that move are living things, and things that don't move are dead things, which fits the simple cognitive concept of the Hilichurls.

Han Fulai then thought further... If Movo and Lata represent life and death, what special meaning does their etymology, "Movo Lata" which combines life and death, have?

He already knew the answer.

"The process from birth to death is often likened to a river... 'time'."

Abedo then added, "In Hilichurls, the three elements of ice, wind, and water transform into each other like elemental reactions, and are all related to the concept of 'time.' Water is 'flowing ice,' wind is 'evaporating water,' and ice is 'frozen wind.'"

—Ice is “frozen wind”.

Han Fulai wrote down this interesting saying.

A few months later, he found a book in the White Night Kingdom of Inazuma called "A Study of the Geography and Hydrology of the White Night Kingdom".

The wise men of the White Night Kingdom recorded "matters of wind and water" in their books, and the books say the following:

Even beneath this abyss, the power of "undying wind" and "water" still exists. "Undying wind," personified as "the eternal god," or poetically referred to as "the thousand winds" or "the thousand winds of time," is the source of this power.

Hilichurls don't lie, or rather, they don't have the intelligence to lie.

Their language lacks the complex rhetoric of humans; it contains only the simplest and most essential elements. They record the world as it appears to them.

Abedo is right, Chuqiu language does indeed help in understanding the nature of this world... Han Fulai felt that perhaps it was time for him to systematically learn this "foreign language".

Furthermore, considering that Wendy, the god of wind, also possesses some of the power of "the winds of time," the saying that "wind and ice come from the same source" further confirms Han Fulai's conjecture about the true identity of the god of ice.

However, these still cannot be considered conclusive evidence to support his conjecture—while Hilichurls do not lie, they may be wrong, after all, their life forms are different from humans, and many of their perceptions are different from humans.

Moreover, there are too many ambiguities in their languages... Who can guarantee that their current understanding is correct?

So he persisted in pressing Abedo, "Then, is there any information about the Ice Queen herself? For example, if she is no longer the 'Goddess of Love,' what are her current beliefs or 'divine duties'? I need any information you may or may not be accurate."

This is also what he cares about most.

Wendy said Ice God has changed, and Abeldo also said Ice God has changed, so what exactly has Ice God changed into?

Of course, at this point, he was just thinking, "I'll take it one shot, no matter what."

Since the Ice Queen's drastic personality change, she has remained secluded in the Winter Palace, with outsiders having no way of knowing anything about her. Abedo had honestly told him before that "he didn't know much either," so Han Fulai didn't expect to get definitive answers from Abedo; he only wanted to gather as much information as possible to facilitate future investigations…

Then, Han Fulai discovered that Abedo's understanding of "not knowing too much" seemed to differ from his own...

The amazing teacher Abedo is just that kind of man—he won't tell you unless you ask him, but once you do, you'll find that he seems to know everything... More importantly, he really dares to say anything.

"It is 'destruction'. The Ice Queen wants to destroy this world."

Aberdo stated the answer in a very casual tone, as if it were common sense.

“My master once assigned me to research the Seven Rulers of the Mortal Realm. Through my research on the ice element, I concluded that the current Ice Queen's power, and the ‘path’ she represents, is ‘destruction.’ Wait a moment, let me find that paper…”

As he said this, he put away his sketchbook and began searching for his thesis in his storage space.

Han Fulai felt cold sweat breaking out on his forehead—the Ice Queen had kept her purpose well hidden, and even I, a transmigrator, didn't know what she was trying to do, and you just blurted it out like that.

And why is your tone so light? This isn't about Timaus being driven to the brink of collapse by his thesis and angrily shouting, "I'm tired, let's destroy!" This is about a god who has built a massive organization and wants to destroy the world! Shouldn't it be a bit more serious?!

He's so full of scathing remarks I don't even know how to express them all.

Come to think of it, back in the snow mountain laboratory, Abedo seemed to have told him about the "Primordial Being" in a similarly casual way...

—It seems that in Abedo’s mind, apart from the “Great Ritual Secret Canon” which his master asked him to keep secret and not to be passed on, all other knowledge could be shared free of charge.

Han Fulai didn't know whether he should admire them more or be afraid of them more; he could only be thankful that they weren't talking about the principles of Heaven.

Fortunately, Abedo spends most of his time buried in the lab and rarely interacts with others. Otherwise, if someone tried to get him to talk about taboo topics under the guise of academic discussion, he probably would have plowed Mondl with nails ten or eight times over...

After a while, Abedo found his alchemy notebook—the very one that Abe had stolen from him in the snowy mountains.

Han Fulai watched as Abedo laid out the notebook, which contained countless precious and forbidden pieces of knowledge, in front of him, as if he were sharing a photo album from his childhood...

The paper he saw was titled "A Study of Taller".

Abedo kindly provided an explanation: "This research topic is about the connection between the seven gods, the seven elements, and the seven formless life forms. Daleth is the name of the 'Ice of the Formless,' and like the 'Wind of the Formless,' according to the internationally accepted rules of the Council of the Church, the 'Ice of the Formless' also has an alias named after an ancient civilization, called 'Daleth (?)'."

"In short, the purest elemental power possessed by the formless life form is strongly correlated with the characteristics of the seven ruling powers of the mortal world. After the seven ruling powers change, the elemental power characteristics of the formless life form will also change... By the way, this is a sample."

As he spoke, he took out a bluish-white jade stone from his storage space.

Han Fulai recognized the object at a glance—"Ai Xu Ice Jade".

Chapter 371 God of Destruction

"This thing comes from the 'Ice of No Form' in the Dragonspine Mountains. I carved it off myself. One of the reasons I set up the laboratory in the mountains was to be able to study it nearby. Also, in terms of the quality of alchemical materials, the materials from 'No Form Lifeforms' are always the best..."

Han Fulai took the pebble-shaped "Lamenting Ice Jade" from Abedo's hand.

As its name suggests, "Ai Xu Bing Yu" feels cool to the touch, like holding a piece of ice.

However, this "ice" will not melt due to the heat of the human body.

Although it contains pure ice elements, its substance is not "ice" or "H2O," but rather a real mineral...