He changed Tiwat

The princess and the court's high priest's eyes met in the air, sparks flying.

Oz flapped his wings excitedly: "Whoa! Miss, Miss has been inspired to fight!"

Paimon, always eager for a good show, chimed in enthusiastically, "Yay! Let's have a contest, the loser is the little dog!"

Two figures, one in blue and one in purple, launched themselves off at zero frames and charged toward the azure coastline.

Xin Yan tilted her head: "Are they serious? 'Run to the beach'? Isn't that a running race?"

Yingmei, with an air of knowing wisdom, said, "Don't worry about it, having fun is the most important thing. They're just too shy to say they want to play in the water..."

Man'yō had already finished writing the waka poem. He put away his notebook and said to Hotaru, "Hotaru, you don't have any plans right now, right? I'd like to patrol the area. Shall we come together?"

Ying gave a thumbs up: "As expected of Manyo, he's really reliable."

Xin Yan also said, "Then I'll stay here and keep watch. Mona Fischl and the others went swimming, so someone needs to set up the camp. We also need to prepare lunch in a little while... You guys go on patrol, leave this to me!"

Even Paimon was touched—thankfully she brought Wan Ye and Xin Yan along. Compared to Fischl and Mona, these two were so reliable. She was sure she would have a fantastic vacation this time!

……

About ten minutes later, Paimon was no longer happy.

She, Ying, and Manyo patrolled to the other side of the beach and came across a strange mechanical device.

The massive iron behemoth was made up of huge gears and rivets, with a cross-shaped pointer on top. It emitted strange buzzing and puffs of thick smoke from time to time, looking like it was about to break down.

Paimon was certain that when she and Yingmei came to this island last time, there was absolutely no such thing on the island.

As for who this thing belongs to—the four-leaf clover pattern of the Fools printed on the gear says it all.

My holiday was ruined by April Fools' Day pranks again...

"Why are there fools here! Is there any place in the world without mint, sweetflowers, and fools?" Paimon cried out in despair.

"Yes, it is incredible, but the Fools have appeared on the 'Golden Apple Islands' which should have been isolated from the world."

Wendy's voice finally turned serious.

"After several days of investigation, Ying and Paimon discovered the purpose of the mechanical device—simply put, those devices are a kind of device called 'Sensory Mimicry,' created by the researchers of the Fools to simulate the powers of a certain god, and have the ability to peer into the minds of others and manipulate their consciousness."

"And the god whose authority was stolen by the Fools was Buyer, the grass god of Mount Sumeru."

Chapter 5 is certainly possible, Senior Barbatos [4k]

"Stealing the authority of the gods..."

Han Fulai recalled the several Fool's Enforcers he had fought against.

The Judo Clan has always been "stealing the authority of the gods." For example, "Sangokushi," the sixth executive of the Judo Clan, is the "prototype of Raiden General." He can be said to have been born with some of Raiden's powers. The Judo Clan recruited "Sangokushi" into the organization largely so that they could study Raiden's powers.

For example, his old acquaintance, the ninth seat of the Fatui Enforcers, "The Rich Man," spent so much effort searching for the flesh and blood of the Geo Archon in Liyue and Inazuma, vying with Liyue for the "minting rights" of Mora. In reality, he was plotting to seize the power of the Geo Archon...

Putting aside the executors' individual motives, the "Ice Queen" to whom they serve is also seeking the authority of the Seven Gods.

Her agents have been active in various Teyvat countries lately, using every means to seize the "Heart of God" belonging to other gods for their queen.

In particular, the eighth seat of the Mondstadt Executors, "Lady," has been very proactive in this regard—both Venti and Zhongli's "Heart of God" were obtained by "Lady."

In fact, the "lady" came to Inazuma this time also for the sake of the "heart of God" of the shadow.

She almost succeeded.

In order to pull the Shadow out of "Isshin no Pure Land", the Divine Child actually considered making a deal with the sixth seat of the Fatui Executive, "Sanbu", in exchange for the "Heart of God" to help her break through "Isshin no Pure Land".

If it weren't for Han Fulai's interference, the "Heart of God" that Ying entrusted to the Divine Child would probably have been taken away by the Fools.

Later, under his scheme, Shadow regained the "Heart of God" and merged it with the "Dream Heart" left behind by Raiden Shin, thus becoming the complete "Eternal God".

This is the biggest blow he has dealt to the Fools so far.

Regardless of the true purpose of the "Ice Queen" and the Fatui in collecting the "Heart of God"—whether it was to resurrect the "Third Adventor," to gather the power of the Seven Gods, or for some other purpose—they will always be missing the piece of the puzzle: the Shadow.

Now, unless the "Ice Queen" takes action herself, there is no way to snatch the "Heart of God" from Shadow's hands.

He also earnestly instructed Shadow and Divine Child to protect the "Heart of God"—the core principle of "Civil Servant's Card Trick" is to firmly grasp the initiative in their own hands.

Getting the cards your opponent wants in advance allows you to make a lot of moves.

If he could, he would want a few more of those cards; the more cards he had in his hand, the more confident he would be when he sat down at the poker table.

Correspondingly, the fewer cards your opponent has, the better.

The appearance of machines created by the Fools on the "Golden Apple Islands," capable of simulating the power of the Grass God, suggests—

"...Has the 'Heart of God' of Sumeru Grass God been taken by the Fools?" Han Fulai asked.

A bitter laugh came from Wendy's end: "That's why I wanted to talk to you."

Ying, Fischl, and others experienced a truly epic adventure on the Golden Apple Islands.

On their first day on the island, they encountered the eccentric soldiers of the Fools and learned from them that the Fools had assembled a machine on the island to conduct some strange experiment, but not only did the experiment fail, it also drove their own men insane...

The next day, they found themselves becoming disoriented as well.

They encountered a talking boat and a squirrel.

The squirrel claims to be a pure-blooded, authentic Mondstadt squirrel. These islands were originally mountains that the wind god of Mondstadt threw into the sea when he was reshaping the terrain. Its great-great ...

The ship claims to be the most powerful pirate ship in Inazuma and the bravest man in Inazuma, saying that no wave can defeat it. Then, Paimon named it "Big Meatball".

A talking squirrel and a wave-like boat take them on a journey to various islands, witnessing all sorts of wondrous illusions—such as a bonsai that can manipulate islands to change shape, and the old house where Manyo lived as a child; there are also singing flowers, and a huge musical instrument made up of the scale of an entire island; and of course, there is Fischl's dream of the "Pure Land of the Night" and Mona's boundless starry sky...

During this time, Ying realized that these illusions were definitely not amusement park rides created by Ms. Alice and Wendy, but rather something created by some force that read Fischl and the others' minds.

When Wendy gave her the "Dudu Communicator," she said that she could use it to contact him in case of any situation—Tvalin may hate being a "taxi," but he wouldn't refuse to be an "ambulance."

To her surprise, the "Dudu Communicator" malfunctioned.

Instead, a mysterious girl's voice came through: "I know you want to contact people outside the island, but you can't right now. So, I've cut off your communications."

"Huh?!" Paimon exclaimed in surprise.

Although Venti and Aerith don't seem very reliable, they are Mondstadt's Anemo Archon and the Witches' Guild's Great Witch!

The communication device these two created could actually be remotely intercepted? The guy who could do that is terrifying!

The mysterious girl chuckled and said, "Instead of asking, wouldn't you like to find the answer yourself? This incredible illusion represents a 'deep dream,' a reflection of the most fundamental aspects of the human heart. Go see it. Witness it all with your own eyes, and when the story concludes, tell me your feelings."

Then the communication was lost.

Ying tried to contact Wendy several more times, but the "Dudu Communicator" was completely unresponsive.

It must have been that mysterious girl who tampered with things, blocking communication between the "Golden Apple Islands" and the outside world.

Ying didn't know what kind of "answer" the girl wanted her to find in the illusion, but she could sense that there was no malice in the girl's words, but rather a strong probing... or rather, curiosity?

In short, she decided to keep this a secret from everyone for the time being, and then travel with everyone through all the illusions and see all the stories.

So in the time that followed, Ying and her friends explored the past buried deep in their hearts, experienced a series of wonderful adventures, witnessed their strength, courage and passion, and worked together to overcome one difficulty after another.

Finally, they learned the truth from the awakened researcher Persikov of the Fools—that the broken machine they had seen on the first day had affected the consciousness of the people on the island, turning the entire "Golden Apple Islands" into a dream world where "consciousness can change matter."

As a result, Ying and the others had to help the Fools search for scattered parts to repair the machine, and after the machine was repaired, the strange hallucinations disappeared.

Thus, this summer island adventure has come to a successful conclusion.

...At least that's true for others.

Even when the "sensory mimicry" device stopped working, Ying could still hear the squirrel and the boat talking to her, as well as the voice of the mysterious girl.

This time, the girl didn't "hijack" the communicator; instead, she spoke to her directly in her mind.

Do you feel satisfied and happy after resolving this incident?

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Rather, I'm just a little bird that occasionally flies over this sea, watching you from afar. I just happened to discover that there is a power here that is related to me. I was curious, so I landed on the beach and quietly observed everything on the island."

"Your dreams are like bubbles on the sea, clear and fragile. The more enchanting the bubble, the more curious I become."

"I can't travel far, and I envy you free people, so I helped with some small designs. I hope you like them."

When Ying asked about the girl's identity, she replied as follows:

"I told you, I have no purpose. I'm just a little bird. I stay here to enjoy your joys and sorrows."

"You are a special person, radiating a unique charm. I was genuinely curious, which is why I'm communicating with you in this way. Don't worry about my name; perhaps one day in the future, we'll meet again somewhere else."

After leaving behind these meaningful words, the mysterious girl who called herself "Little Bird" never spoke again.

Later, Ying secretly told the bard who claimed to know all the stories in the world about this, but only received an ambiguous answer: "I'm just a bard who sings in a tavern, how could I know these things... Putting all that aside, Ying, Paimon, did you have fun this time?"

Hearing Ying and Paimon's affirmative answers, Wendy smiled and said that the meaning of travel lies in recording feelings. As long as it can leave them with unforgettable experiences, the trip will be meaningful.

As for the mysterious girl, Wendy believed she was well-intentioned, because she not only didn't harm Ying and the others, but also helped them understand each other better and strengthened their friendship—if the outcome was good, then everything was good.

The readers listening to stories in the tavern don't need to know where the bard's stories come from, so Ying doesn't need to delve into who that girl is.

"I initially thought they accepted this explanation, but I seem to have underestimated the adventurers' curiosity..."

"The two of them went back to Haiqi Island first, while Fischl and Mona stayed on the island for a few more days. I only found out when Mona came back and told me about her travel experience—those two little ones seemed to have discovered that I wasn't telling the truth, so they secretly went and grabbed the researchers of the Fool Clan and beat them up, and found out that the machine was related to the gods of Sumeru... I don't know who they learned it from."

Listening to the voice coming from the other end of Windwing, Han Fulai could almost imagine Wendy scratching her hair in distress.

As for who these two learned it from... Han Fulai, who interrogated "Mr. N" and "Yuanshang" with Ying, said he didn't know either.

Instead, he was the one comforting Wendy: "Even if they find out that girl is the grass god of Sumeru, it doesn't matter, right? Anyway, Ying is a traveler, and she'll be traveling to Sumeru eventually. It's not bad to just consider it as making a new friend in advance."

“No, Sumeru’s current situation is really delicate…” Wendy’s voice sounded even more distressed.

"I can't really say I lied to them—you know, I fell into a deep sleep after the 'Dark Calamity' and only recently woke up. I don't really know what happened during my sleep...like the change of the Sumeru Grass God."

"'Great Tree King' Buyer is also a very special one among the seven gods. She is the 'Goddess of Wisdom' and the manager of the 'World Tree' that stores all the wisdom in the world. During that calamity, only Buyer did not need to answer the call of Sky Island to go on an expedition, but instead stayed behind to guard Sumeru and protect the 'World Tree'."

“I heard that although Buyer was also seriously injured in the calamity, she preserved her will through the method of reincarnation and was reborn as the ‘Little Lucky Grass King’... In this sense, the gods of Sumeru have not actually changed, and are still the same Buyer who gathered with us in Liyue five hundred years ago.”

"The power of dreams and consciousness is the power of Buyer, who mastered 'telepathy'."

"When I discovered that it was Buyer who 'hijacked' the 'Dudu Communicator,' I sent her a letter via the Wind Direction Sumeru to say hello, but I never received a reply. I didn't think much of it at first, after all, everyone has things to do, and it's normal for replies to be a little late sometimes..."

"But today I discovered that things might be very serious—Ying and Paimon have lost contact after entering the Sumeru Land."

"Wait, what does 'missing contact' mean?" Han Fulai now took it seriously.

“It’s that ‘Dudu Communicator’,” Wendy sighed. “The communicator I gave them also contains my divine power, just like your Wind Wings. In theory, I should be able to hear about what’s happening on Ying’s side through the communicator at any time—but today, shortly after they entered the Sumeru Rainforest, I stopped receiving any responses from the communicator.”

Han Fulai frowned: "This means..."

"This means that Buyer has quietly erected a barrier to block out thoughts within the territory of Sumeru, preventing all news from spreading outwards—this is an even more severe 'lockdown' than the thunderstorm of Inazuma," Wendy said.

Han Fulai recalled the Sumeru scholar Haidifu, whom he had met in the Layered Rock Abyss: "...As far as I know, just a few months ago, Sumeru scholars were still traveling around studying. How could they suddenly 'close their country'?"

“It’s strange, isn’t it?” Wendy shrugged. “If you add to that the Fatui are building machines that simulate the Grass God’s powers, and the Grass God’s ‘Heart of God’ is likely to be taken by the Fatui, and she herself once said, ‘I can’t travel far, and I envy you free people’… In the worst case, Buyer might already be…”

Han Fulai thought of the same thing: "They've already been imprisoned by the Fools, or perhaps... replaced? And Ying, who ran to Sumeru at this time, is very likely in danger as well?"

“This is what I wanted you to investigate,” Wendy said solemnly. “It was my oversight that I couldn’t properly persuade Luminous and Paimon… but I can’t just casually visit that old man, especially given that Wintersweet might be involved in this matter.”

"After thinking it over, you're the only one who can go to Sumeru and is qualified to participate in an event of this caliber. Can I ask you for a favor, 'junior'?"

Han Fulai paused for a moment, then nodded: "As civil servants of Sky Island, it is only natural to help each other. So my answer is, 'Of course, Senior Barbatos.'"

Chapter Six: Traversing the Smoke Curtain and the Dark Forest [4k]

After receiving Wendy's "overseas call," Han Fulai immediately began preparations for his return flight.

Although Wendy didn't say it explicitly, Han Fulai understood the implication.

The fact that Wendy addresses him so formally as "junior" and asks him to conduct an "investigation" in Sumeru as a "Sky Island civil servant" suggests that it's not just about finding the missing Yingmei.

To find a missing adventurer, you should ask the Adventurers' Guild, not "Master of Finding People".

Honestly, if all you want to do is find Luminous, Wendy, being a "bard," could just go busk outside the Order of the Church. Luminous would definitely rush over to watch as soon as she heard the news.

The key point is that Yingmei is not the only one who has "gone missing".

There is also an even more significant missing person—

Buyer is the Sumeru Grass God, one of the "Seven Rulers of the Mortal World".

Wendy wanted to entrust him with finding this missing "colleague" in Sumeru, which is what is meant by "civil servants should help each other".

As for why Wendy didn't go herself, it's naturally because the matter is likely related to the Winter Queen's plan.

The way Venti gave his "Heart of God" to "Lady" in that way itself represented his stance—as long as the Fatui do not harm Mondstadt, Venti will not interfere with Winter's affairs, and will even secretly support Winter Queen's plan to collect "Heart of God".

That was true at least a few months ago.

But now Teyvat has gained Han Fulai, a "descendant" capable of creating a "butterfly effect," and Wendy has also developed new ideas...