Chapter 135 The True King, A Crown Presented...

The King of Li returned very slowly this time.

It seems that a long and arduous negotiation took place.

When she came back, she stopped crying and showed me her wrist with bright, vertical pupils, looking somewhat happy.

"You... touch."

A long, brown hair, wrapped many times and tied securely, is strung with beads and small bells, which ring when shaken.

Things to soothe children.

Looking closer, the tear stains on her face had been wiped clean, and her hair showed signs of being combed again.

I've long heard of the benevolent and kind nature of the Liyue Immortals, but I never imagined they could go to such lengths.

It's probably also because the king cried so miserably in front of him.

I touched the fairy's hair, then returned the bracelet and asked.

"What's his name."

It is necessary to record the potential factors that could improve the mental state of King Sumeru.

“Zhong, Zhongli.”

Did you introduce yourself to him?

Wang remained silent.

As expected, there wasn't one.

*

Vana Smarana Sapna.

The name given to the Wrathful King by the Grass God.

I don't think the King of Li remembered, because he looked blank when I called him by that name.

However, since the king's true name is still unknown, this name will be recorded for now.

*

The King of Wrath likes the Liyue Immortals more than he imagined.

After making a ruckus in Sumeru in a 'normal' state, I would always go to the Layered Rock Abyss to take a look, regardless of whether I had any elemental crystals.

That's good, much better than hiding and crying in Sumeru City.

*

He's studying!

For the first time in two years, the King of Wisdom was seen picking up a pen.

However, it is not written in the common script used in mainland China; it is more like the ancient script of Liyue.

“Zhongli is teaching me to write some talismans that can soothe the earth’s veins, which will allow the energy to be absorbed to the maximum extent.”

Learning is a good thing, but how can one learn more complex ancient scripts if one doesn't even understand basic modern writing?

Seeing that he was in a 'normal' state, I immediately stopped working, helped him organize the knowledge, corrected his writing errors, and assigned him homework.

During this time, a wise man urged me to attend a meeting, but I firmly refused, because the king who guides Sumeru should be above all else.

That's perfectly reasonable.

*

On June 15th of his second year as vizier, white flowers appeared on his desk along with a note that read "Thank you" in illegible handwriting.

He consulted with the scholar of the School of Life, Tinari, and learned that the white flower was called Pure Heart and withered very easily. He then asked him to make bookmarks from the petals and place them in this book.

*

King Li was not good at reading, so his progress was very slow; he could be described as a blockhead.

I want to work.

*

God has granted me triple my annual leave.

The tyrannical king can surely make up for his shortcomings through diligence.

*

I wonder what the Liyue Immortals did to the King of Wrath.

He carried Liyue children's toys and bought some Lannaruo statues, then walked shakily toward Fontaine.

When I came back, I was in a good mood. I hid in a corner and watched me for a long time before whispering, "Good evening."

"good."

It would be great if Mr. Zhongli could come to the Academy of Education to teach courses in education.

*

The reagents sent to the laboratory yielded no results, even though the research teams I sent to various countries later had returned.

The place where the King of Li dropped the pearl, the Dama Mountain in the desert, has seen greenery for the first time in a hundred years. The temperature of the snow mountain has not risen significantly, and the fog at Heguan is slightly dissipated.

No significant changes were found in the strata abyss.

“Naxida, Mr. Zhongli introduced me to a second immortal friend. He has very big horns on his head and a strange name, Ruo Tuo.”

"...Huh? Huh??"

It seems the change has occurred in another aspect unknown to humankind.

*

In his fourth year in office, Xumi implemented numerous reforms, and everything flourished. The reactionaries were no longer a threat, the people lived in peace and contentment, and the King's mental and physical condition remained stable.

He is growing taller.

This is a good thing.

As a teenager, his growth and development have always been too slow; the height he has gained in the past four years is less than what he has gained in any single month this year.

But as a price to pay for growing up, his cartoon mask no longer fit his face, making it difficult for him to breathe and causing him to gasp for air.

"Take it off and get a new one."

"No!!"

At first, I didn't pay attention, thinking he would take it off himself after he felt uncomfortable. But I soon discovered that blood was seeping out where the mask was in contact with his skin. It was a scratch caused by him pressing it too hard.

Whatever the meaning of this mask, it's gone too far.

Do you think the person who gave you the mask would be happy to see you do this?

That is my advice.

"..."

He remained silent, but still refused.

He can't see.

Beyond redemption.

I kept hearing someone breathing heavily in my ear, which seriously affected my work efficiency, so I asked someone for help.

Of course I need help; I'm not omnipotent.

I went to the military camp to find Dixia, dug out Kavi at the construction site, and then consulted with some people who would like to add fuel to the fire.

The plan was set to take place during the Flower Goddess's birthday festival, when the King of Li was certain he wouldn't cause any trouble.

The Grass God is close to the people and kind-hearted. Whenever his subjects are confused, he never hesitates to give them guidance, demonstrating his wisdom through his own actions.

In gratitude, the Flower Goddess's birthday celebrations have become more and more grand each year.

Since there were no festivals related to the King of Wrath, I explained the matter to the Grass God and obtained permission to carry it out.

At the end of the grand event, just as the crowd was about to disperse, Dixia suddenly stepped forward and performed a greatsword dance. Her dance was magnificent, drawing cheers and creating another climax in the atmosphere.

Taking advantage of the crowd's gathering and the King's unpreparedness, Kavi climbed to a high place and shouted.

"Why doesn't the tyrannical king share the joy with his people? He should also sing and dance with abandon!"

The king remained silent, because opening his mouth would loosen the mask.

"I cannot forget the terror you once brought to Mount Sumeru, but I can never forget the merits you have now."

Kavi, in his unrestrained and arrogant manner, rambled on and on, almost forgetting to get to the point.

"Children of Sumeru! If you share my views, take off your jewelry and throw it to me, whether good or bad, superior or inferior!"

"Because I—the miracle of the Mystic School—will melt your love and hate into masks, firmly affixed to the king's face, which no one is worthy to see!"

"!!!"

Many people made donations, including countless pieces of jewelry, and Kavi was nearly knocked unconscious.

"Don't steal it!"

Seno and the disciplinary officer maintained order, while Tinari brought out his trusted classmates to pick up the gifts one by one and help Kavi deliver them to the workshop.

Among them are some of the finest jade pieces, some worth tens of millions.

The bad ones are extremely bad, including resin and glass.

Kavi spent a lot of effort cleaning, disinfecting, melting, and breaking them down, then using the powder to create a pattern that satisfied him.

The gray background matches the king's hair color, and the gold patterns match the king's eye color, depicting the patterns of grass leaves.

I accompanied the somewhat nervous Dolly sisters as they presented the new masks and expressed their belated gratitude.

"You're scary, but we still think it's so great to have met you!"

Wang was in a 'normal' state; I couldn't discern his emotions, so I directly asked him, who was staring blankly into space:

"Can the love and hatred of these people move you even slightly, or make you lower your gaze to this country that you do not favor?"

"..."

“You are a cunning human, Elhesen.”

ah.

I am just an ordinary scholar striving for a peaceful life.

*

With many jewels remaining, Kavi spent some time crafting a crown.

This time he didn't grind it to pieces; some of the jade stones on it were dull, while others were dazzling.

"Hey! You're probably the first king to wear a fake hat on his head!" the foolish minister Kavi taunted.

"And what king could be crowned with the gifts of the people? I am the only king in the world."

The king didn't mind and looked at the crown again and again.

"Naxi Da".

He asked the gods.

"Would you be willing to place this crown on my head?"

The deity did not hesitate, though his expression showed a hint of regret.

"Don't you want to have a ceremony? Like a coronation or something?"

“No,” Wang said. “Laughter and joy are of no benefit to me; this is the limit of what I can tolerate.”

He adjusted the crown on his head, getting used to the weight, and then looked at me:

"What other radical reforms do you have in store? I heard you want to follow Fontaine's example and separate academia from politics?"

Wang was eager to gather negative emotions, indicating that today's events had indeed made him feel anxious.

But he didn't consider that my reforms would only bring temporary emotional fluctuations. If the reforms were successful, how could he suppress the people's love and respect? What he wanted would only become increasingly difficult to obtain.

"That's not urgent."

I can only stall for time.

"Your coat is too short, you should change it."

"No."

"Change."

"No."

...

*

I thought I could just hold on until the effects of the medication wore off.

But at night, I heard rustling sounds coming from the ceiling.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a pair of reflective eyes.

“El...Haisen…”

The king, wearing a crown, spoke in a leisurely voice:

"I need...emotions..."

That's great, he's becoming less and less afraid of people.

That's really bad; he's becoming less and less afraid of people.

*

In my fifth year in office, everything is fine.

The desert is lush with green grass. The expedition team sent out unexpectedly learned the truth about the Red King's death, which has been announced. The day when the desert and rainforest are unified is drawing near.

The Grass Goddess told me that she will soon be able to open the World Tree's passageway on her own.

The King of Wrath is in trouble. The crystal ball in his hand is getting smaller and smaller, and the sea level in Fontaine is dropping slowly, not even as fast as he is growing.

*

Sixth year in office.

They didn't see eye to eye.

Tsk.

I'm in a bad mood, so I'm taking a break from updating.

*

[A comment from a scholar of the biotheory: Wait, Elheisen! Didn't the sage ask you to write a history book? You've completely let yourself go!]

[No wonder the sage stopped running errands for you altogether and went around saying you were a slippery kid who couldn't be trusted...]

[There are so many interesting details in this book, it's such a waste to let it gather dust here. So, I'll jot some notes down myself.]

I am Tinari.

A scholar who is about to graduate.

Since this is an observation diary of the King of Li, I'll go and see him now.

Anyway, I have nothing to do. I've passed my graduation defense and the forest ranger exam. I'm now the most relaxed person in the Order of the Instruction!

Speaking of the Wrathful King, I later investigated some matters concerning the Nekomata and the transformed Nekomata with the help of the gods.

The origin of the Bakeneko (化猫) is of particular interest to me. It dates back to 500 years before Inazuma, during a time of war and poverty.

Because of poverty, everyone was starving; because of poverty, even cats, dogs, and livestock went hungry.

The first cat in history was a domestic cat with a very, very long tail.

The long-tailed cat was so hungry, so very hungry. It couldn't swallow the dry biscuits or eat the vegetables, so it jumped onto the table, stood up like a human, held the lamp in its two paws, and, despite its fear of the light, stuck out its tongue and wolfed down the fish oil in the lamp.

The lamplight magnified the kitten's ravenous shadow countless times, projecting it onto the paper door and startling the humans, whose minds were clouded by the chaos of war.

"The shadow of a monster! The shadow of a monster! It's going to eat people!"

"Show your true colors!"

The long-tailed cat was killed by the shovel and then thrown away.

How could a monster die so easily?

Humanity remains terrified.

"It will definitely come back for revenge!"

"It will definitely come back for revenge!"

"It will definitely come back for revenge!"

Human beings so desire, and fate responds to their wishes.

The cat's corpse suddenly rose up, its shape overwhelming, swallowing all the screaming humans whole. Only when the last curse disappeared into its sharp teeth did it shrink, lie down, and sleep in the ground, becoming a dead corpse once more.

It's a very strange origin story, isn't it? It's as if the cat-like creature wouldn't have been born without humans.

It is said that for a long time, the Inatsume people would deliberately cut off the tails of kittens to prevent them from becoming identical cats... Wait, I suddenly remembered that Inatsume is a specialty of short-tailed cats?

Wow, it seems fear is ingrained in our genes, both in humans and cats.

Okay, I'll stop here for now. I think I can see the colorful crown of the King of Wrath. But is calling him the King of Wrath really appropriate? It feels a bit off.

But he can't be called a great sage either...

...

Elheisen! Elheisen! Come back quickly!! Ahhh!

Blood! The tyrannical king was covered in blood! He was holding a little green-haired girl in his arms!!

A blue-haired scholar! Shark teeth! His head is flying!

I...I'm Tinari! Don't you recognize me?

Sleight of hand!

-----------------------

Author's note: Sleight of hand: Tinari's E skill voice line causes the enemy to prioritize attacking the three flies.

The legend of the cat has been Teyvatized.

The Japanese Noh specialty, the bobtail cat, is indeed believed by many to be related to the legend of the transformed cat.

However, there's no evidence to support this claim.