Chapter 146 A desperate struggle, and it's the vizier again...

After Mainkuhn and the others recovered somewhat, they immediately returned to Fontaine to dissipate the negative emotions stored in their bodies.

This time, it's not just about saving the sea level in Fontainebleau.

[It's also to save my body; the recovery is too slow, much slower than the average person.]

Mainkuhn, pale-faced, bent down and picked up the energy crystal transformed from seawater.

[Based on past experience with injuries, releasing some of the negative emotions can speed up recovery...wait, what?]

The cat-eared youth spread his hands, then clenched his fist. The feeling of weakness, like a bone-deep infection, still lingered in his body, making it impossible for him to grip the crystal tightly.

[Recovery speed has barely increased.]

[……Why. ]

Filled with confusion and bewilderment, Mainkuhn tried to expel some of his negative emotions, but the result remained the same.

[What's going on? When did this start?]

[No, I don't know. I haven't been injured in a long time. Where do I even begin to investigate this...? The year before last? Last year?]

Mainkuhn was somewhat uneasy.

This anxiety is normal.

Any young person would be more or less panicked when faced with inexplicable weakness, let alone the half-demon Mainkuhn who had no understanding of his own body.

After all, he had no elders, no seniors, no experienced relatives, and no one who could tell him "this is normal" or "this is a big problem" since he was a child.

But because this has always been the case, Mainkuhn, though uneasy, was quickly distracted by the new report from the Fontainebleau Academy of Sciences.

[Oh! The water level has dropped enough to expose the Narcissus Cross Orphanage!]

[...Where is this? This place sounds familiar.]

[Well, whatever, as long as they know I'm awesome, that's enough!]

*

I am Erhesen.

This is a continuation of the record of the emperor's daily life.

You may call it the Vizier's Diary, since the wise men no longer acknowledge the legitimacy of my writings, have banned it, forbidding students from reading it, and denounced me as a fabricator of unofficial history.

Oh.

*

During the time that Mainkun blitzed Mondstadt and returned to recuperate in bed, the Fools continued to relentlessly spread rumors in Sumeru.

No, it's less a rumor and more a distorted fact.

In villages far from Sumeru, wanted posters for the lynx are being distributed in large quantities, and the Fools are systematically publicizing the bloodshed and cruelty of the crimes committed by Mainkuen.

This is very useful.

If Mainkun were to go into the rainforest to hunt birds as usual, he would soon become so engrossed in the villagers' fear that he would never want to leave Mount Sumeru again.

But he has just woken up from a coma and is too sick to get out of bed, so we can keep it from him for a while longer.

Kavi tried to tear down the flyers posted near the construction site, but he couldn't get them off cleanly, and he was so dejected that he didn't want to work anymore.

His client, Dolly, saw this and flew into a rage.

"Alright! They're just some junk ads! I'll spread the word right now that they're buying back every single ad for 50 Mora, and I guarantee kids and old folks will tear down every last wall in Sumeru!"

Kavi was shocked. He remembered that Dolly had always been resentful about her sister's near death due to lack of money for medical treatment and valued money highly.

"You miser, have you lost your mind?!"

"Am I stingy?! Have you forgotten who provides the free medical care in Sumeru?"

Dolly was furious and tried to clear her name.

"It's not that I don't use my money, it's just that I can't waste it. Every penny must be used for good... like, to help you get back on your feet! To build a beautiful home for me and my sister!"

The Casazale Palace is a gift that Dolly wanted to give to herself and her sister, and it holds great significance.

Kavi was overjoyed, and to repay Dolly's generosity, he gratefully patted his chest and promised:

"Don't worry! I'll work hard! I'll work day and night to finish the project within this quarter, making sure it's so perfect you won't be able to find a single flaw!"

But he had no idea that Dolly had actually finalized the plan to collect 50 Mora from each Fool's Flyer yesterday.

The plan will proceed in the afternoon, regardless of his presence.

"The wise prince saved my sister, so it's only right for me to spend the money to repay him!"

Dolly said so.

"As for Kavi, I can motivate him with just a few words, so why wouldn't I? Working day and night is fine, he's young, he can handle it!"

A commendable strategy that fully exploits the labor of fools.

So I anonymously sent the recording to her sister, a kind and upright parent who works at the labor bureau.

*

While in his hospital bed, Mainkuhn surprisingly took the initiative to learn about the history of Mondstadt from the wind god who was using the alias Wendy.

The wind god answered with poetry, making learning fun, and Mainkuen listened attentively.

When I told him about the history of Mount Sumeru back then, he had never listened so attentively before; he was always dozing off.

...

Should I have turned the history of Mount Sumeru into poetry and sung it to him myself? That's absurd.

"Therefore, Mond was not born so happy and free; they also experienced a painful past and a long struggle."

"Elhesen, how long do you think it will take for everyone to achieve happiness?"

After asking that question, he couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep again.

Okay, it seems it's not a problem with the teaching method.

Mainkuhn was always sleeping, which Tinari said was because of his liver damage and physical weakness.

Before I left the ward, Barbatos summoned a gentle breeze, dispelling the heat of the ward.

"May you, venerable one, enjoy true freedom."

I think he must have finally finished going through the chat history.

*

Mainkuhn was feeling better, and he insisted on going to Fontaine.

Nasita was worried that he would lose his strength and fall into the sea halfway, so I asked the wind god to make sure he had a smooth journey.

"He will be much better when he comes back."

When I said that, the wind god unusually stopped smiling.

“Wise scholar, do you think that when a wicked robber tries to steal a good merchant’s silk cloth and neither side lets go, the cloth will eventually tear?”

"Even if the robbers occasionally lose their strength, as long as they don't let go and keep trying to steal, the cloth will deform even if it doesn't tear."

This statement is ambiguous, but I think he is comparing the robbers and the merchants to bad and good wishes, and Mainkuhn to the piece of cloth.

...

The wind god's words may not be correct.

I waited for Mainkuhn while reading by the Wisdom Palace. I went home and slept there that night. Mainkuhn didn't come back until noon the next day, soaking wet.

"Are you feeling better?"

The wise king did not answer me.

He collapsed onto the table, exhausted, and fell asleep immediately.

*

Between Liyue and Inazuma, the wise king chose Inazuma, who was farther from Sumeru.

He pleaded his case, reasoned with the enemy, and argued with them, but was utterly defeated, leading to a three-month strike.

*

The wise king entered the rice field for the first time and felt as if he were a fish in water.

The ghosts of the sea were scattered and their lives were lost; the people of the wilderness were terrified; from the desolate white fox to the head of the snake god, blades were scattered everywhere and blood was dripping.

Exhausted, he returned home, slept for three days, and did not eat.

"It's normal to experience excessive sleep and reduced appetite when your liver is damaged."

Tinaly came to examine him; a proponent of animal medicine, he was well-versed in veterinary medicine and could be considered a veterinarian.

"The recovery is slower than expected, and it seems to be stalling..."

Upon hearing this, the wise king showed no fear, held the crystal bead in his hand, and looked back at the Grass God:

"The snow-capped mountains of Mondstadt, the deep abysses of Liyue, the crane-viewing grounds of Inazuma... I have watered the ley lines damaged by the Sky Spikes. Now, where can I repair them?"

This man is foolish and reckless, eager to die, burning with his last breath, happy to return to dust, unwilling to rest for even a moment. I will speak out against him.

"But, Elhesen, didn't you say that my body was in chaos due to the struggle between various desires, and would completely lose its ability to recover, becoming a living, disposable puppet?"

"Since that's the case, why be timid and cherish something so fragile? I must seize the time, before more people want me dead than live, before fate makes me unable to even be a living corpse, before I become completely stiff and stinking, I will fulfill my wish to save my homeland!"

After he finished speaking, he started panting, not out of fear, but simply because he was too weak.

The bodies of the Inazuma people who died from losing control had few marks left by flesh and claws; they were mostly long-range wounds caused by the black mist.

"Elheisen, where is your reason and composure?"

The wise king, oblivious to his own mortality, opened his mouth wide.

“When Nasita chose you as my vizier, wasn’t it because she valued your indifferent attitude and rare emotional fluctuations? Elhesen, I’m giving you leave. You don’t need to advise me anymore.”

I said, "Wise King, if you die, Mount Sumeru will fall into turmoil."

"Turbulence? Hahaha!"

He smiled, looking somewhat smug.

“Elhesen, do you think I don’t know? Ever since you became Vizier seven years ago, you have been dismantling the power in my hands, bit by bit… the dirty power of those old sages.”

He really should be proud, because I never expected that someone who couldn't even read properly would be able to notice my movements.

"So Sumeru is no longer... a centralized system? Is that the term you taught me?"

He began to pant again, his head drooping downwards, barely able to keep his crown on.

“You established a parliament, supported the Chamber of Commerce, and divided the responsibilities of the rainforest and the desert and granted them to mortals. You have long since stolen Mount Sumeru from the hands of the monarch and given it to its true master. Whether there is a king or not is no longer important to Mount Sumeru.”

His gaze fell on me once more, his vertical pupils filled with nothing but pure, beast-like admiration and longing.

"That wondrous, magnificent wisdom that I can never possess..."

"Elheisen, when will you finally step down from behind the king and show your beauty to the world?"

...

I don't.

The next day, I heard that he broke into the Echoing Sons of Nata, beat up all the people and dragons who came to stop him, and then disrespectfully threw the Elemental Beads at their Obsidian Totem Pole.

The great spirit of the Night God Kingdom accepted that energy.

I commanded Cyno, Desia, Diluc of Mondstadt, and the army to raid one of the Fatui Doctors' secret lairs, capturing an executor who was completely immobilized on the experimental table.

The six scattered soldiers were beyond the capabilities of ordinary people, so they were handed over to Naxida to suppress them.

He had a sharp tongue, but the wise king was somewhat interested in him because he couldn't understand why he would volunteer to be a guinea pig, so he kept him around for the time being.

This continued for several years. While sweeping away Inazuma, the wise king successively conquered the Suganmu people, the Flowing Springs, the Flower Feather Society, and the Wolu Kingdom.

The Lord of Smoke did not fight. It is said that all the shamans at the time just watched from the sidelines. No one stopped him. The wise king went in and left without any new injuries.

The following year, Inazuma Raiden, the general, announced the implementation of the Eye Hunting Edict and the National Isolation Edict.

This has nothing to do with the Wise King, because even if the Wise King was physically weak, he could still dive into the water to avoid thunderstorms, and he didn't have the Eye of God.

But I overheard the wise king secretly asking the scattered soldiers:

"Just how strong is General Thunder? Can I strike her down?"

...

I want to take down Mainkun first.

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

Author's note: The lockdown order began a year ago in the main storyline.

Good heavens, I'm finally going to push the timeline back to when Huang Mao was born.