Chapter 17: The Resonance of Song and Wine Wine…and the Righteous

"Um... Yi... Bai?"

Wendy was a little dazed and said uncertainly.

Feng had told him that there was a slime in Mond that turned into a human. When such a powerful force of rules first appeared in Mond, he was even shocked, thinking that Tenri had done something to Mond after waking up.

When he turned into wind and went to investigate, the person had already left, leaving behind only the residual breath of a low-level slime.

Later, when he felt the same power of rules again, the other party had turned into a child and lived in Mondstadt. Perhaps because of the growth of power, the aura emitted when using that power had become increasingly hidden.

However, he still didn't expect that the slime didn't do anything in the end. He got along well with everyone in Mond, and even helped Mond and himself with the problem of the Wind Dragon.

He was even willing to use the power of rules to fine-tune the taste of a bottle of wine and finally give it to himself.

The result is a perfect blend of my favorite flavors of apple brew and dandelion wine!

But even so, Feng didn't tell him that the soft, cute and well-behaved little boy could become such a bold and powerful young man!

And what's up with the wolf ears?

...Although it was quite cute, it reminded him of the handsome North Wind Wolf King at first sight.

"It's me."

Yi Bai responded modestly.

"I can give you the wine, but on the condition that you keep it a secret for me."

"No problem... It's amazing, this ability to change shape at will."

Wendy approached with interest.

"It's very useful. These bottles of wine were bought from the tavern in different forms."

Yi Bai grabbed two bottles of dandelion wine and two wooden wine glasses from the space, placed them on the table, bent one knee and sat down.

While pouring wine, he asked Wendy to sit opposite him. The fluctuation in his pupils gradually faded, and he completely dropped the disguise of his personality, as if he was a wretch.

"Sit down."

"I haven't touched alcohol for a long time. This time I'll have time to try Mond's famous wine. Will you have a drink with me?"

The boy seemed to have an unusual liking for wine. His white hair and cold eyes clearly carried a sense of alienation and aggression, but the interest in his eyes and his familiar tone towards Wendy diluted this feeling very well.

He seemed to trust her very much, Wendy thought for no reason.

When not facing the enemy, Yi Bai can indeed let go of his villain aura.

He really hadn't had a real drink in a very long time. After going through a decadent period of relying on alcohol to numb his nerves and relieve stress, his university studies and subsequent work were very fulfilling, leaving him with little time to enjoy this kind of drink that affects his daily routine.

But as a former wine lover and a music student, he did have a natural liking for Wendy, not to mention trust.

From the player's perspective, he doesn't think there is any reason why he can't trust a cute, free and romantic boy as long as he doesn't pose any danger to Mond.

If it weren't for the need to maintain his image, he doubted that if Zhong Li was here, he would immediately and obediently call him "Dad".

Wendy smiled and didn't bother to argue anymore. She sat down opposite him neatly.

"Well... Mondstadt's wine is highly praised throughout Teyvat! In this case, of course I will stick with you to the end, my friend."

"…You can call me Xiaobai."

"Is this your original name? It's kind of cute."

Yi Bai did not comment. He glanced at Wendy:

“That’s what my family used to call me.”

Oh... that means you really trust yourself.

She is not from Mondstadt and has never seen me. However, her piano playing is intoxicating and she even gives me delicious wine. She has taken off her disguise but is still so close to me. The wind elf can't help but let down her guard.

Wendy smiled happily, as if she had re-recognized this friend of unknown origin but very congenial.

"How about dandelion wine? Xiaobai, is it absolutely the best in the world?"

Wendy didn't use a wine glass, he just held the bottle and drank. He looked at Yi Bai with an excited tone.

"Mmm, it tastes sweet at first, and after careful tasting, it has a mellow fragrance with an endless aftertaste."

Yibai exclaimed.

"Right, right!" Wendy was happy to be recognized.

"Unfortunately, although dandelion wine is good, it's a bit expensive. I can only afford to buy it in bulk."

"Where did you get so many Moras?"

Wendy asked curiously.

“…”

Yi Bai was strangely silent for a moment. Asking the Fools for reimbursement? After all, there is a banker [rich man] among the executive officers... This backup fund support can still be applied for.

Not to mention that he recently planned to open a slime farm, which required a certain amount of start-up funds from construction projects to the recruitment of relevant staff.

But this identity was at least superficially a complete opposition, so Yi Bai found an excuse:

"I made the money by singing part-time in a tavern."

He had indeed done this job before, but he played guitar instead of lyre.

"Well, it's the same as me. Oh, it's really not easy to buy alcohol. Even with my appearance, I can be regarded as a minor and only non-alcoholic drinks are provided to me...

Mond didn't have such rules a long time ago...!

I had to resort to the unique skill of drinking and playing the piano at the same time to get the audience to replace Mora with wine and feed it to me!"

Wendy, reeking of alcohol, pounded the table with her hands, feeling aggrieved and angry.

“That’s right.”

Yi Baishen nodded in agreement. He had directly used the rules to transform himself into an adult man to buy the wine. It was even more troublesome when he didn't have enough strength before. He took great pains to get two bottles from Kaya.

"If it's troublesome, you can give Mora to me next time and let me become an adult man and buy it for you."

Yi Bai put down the bait, smiled, rested his chin on the back of his hands and looked at Wendy.

"Really?" Wendy's eyes lit up.

"But I need one thing in exchange... How about taking me with you next time you go to rescue Tevarin? I can help you."

Yi Bai put forward the conditions.

"Tevlin... Of course, I'll feel more at ease with Xiaobai's help."

Wendy chose to trust his instincts.

"Don't worry, Tevarin will be fine. He will always be your wind god."

Yi Bai slowed down his tone and said affirmatively.

"You really do know that I am the God of Wind."

Wendy muttered.

Witnessed by squirrels, leaves and wind, the two young men seemed to have found a common language. Although they both possessed incredible powers, they still used their transformed bodies to express their worries about not being able to exchange Mora for wine.

They brought with them the coldness of snow, the gentleness of water, the freedom of wind, and the boldness and recklessness that are unique to youth. They played and sang, drank and chatted, and weaved friendships that transcended space.

…

It was another dark and windy night.

Yi Bai used the wind to dispel most of the dizziness brought by the alcohol, turned back into a young boy, and walked towards his residence step by step.

Just as he was approaching the corner and about to reach home, an ice-attributed abyss mage controlled ice spikes and shot at his back at a high speed from a high altitude.

Yi Bai, who would never let down his guard in this situation, felt an unnatural sound of air breaking, and was about to use a water wall to block the attack and find a way to pull the Abyss Mage down.

But immediately...the elemental power of the Eye of God was forcibly suppressed by Yi Bai.

There was a flash of fire, and a large metal sword was thrown over, blocking the ice spike that was about to penetrate Yi Bai's body.

Sometimes, being helped is often easier to gain other people's favor than actively helping others, and he really needs such an excuse to repay the life-saving grace to justify his subsequent actions.

Diluk came over the wall from a distance, holding a powerful fire element in his hand. He threw a fireball into the sky, lighting up the night and quickly melting the ice shield of the Abyss Mage.

He used the momentum to shuttle across the ground, picked up his weapon, re-enchanted it with fire, and jumped into the air to chop again.

"ah!!!!"

Before the Abyss Mage could dodge the attack and continue to scream, it completely shattered and disappeared on the spot.

hansome.

Yi Bai thought.

As expected, the fire element in the dark night is passionate, straightforward and purely handsome.

It's a pity that the person involved was not enthusiastic.

Diluk stepped back to the ground and looked coldly at the dazed Yi Bai with his cat face.

However, his words were full of obvious concern, and it was obvious that he had a good impression of young knights like Yi Bai:

"Are you okay? Remember to go home early at night and don't go out. The monsters of the Abyss Cult have become more and more rampant recently."

"I...I'm fine."

Yi Bai seemed to be quite frightened and looked a little dazed, and his reactions were not as smooth as usual.

He blinked hard, and after confirming that Yi Bai had escaped the attack, he tilted his head and looked at the Dark Night Hero in front of him.

Almost sober, Yi Bai thought there was no need to use rules to resolve the situation, but the child's body might have magnified the effect of alcohol.

He said, "Thank you, righteous man."

“…”

Diluk squinted his eyes, unsure if he smelled a faint scent of alcohol.

He said: "...a righteous person?"

After getting drunk and making a mistake, Yi Bai sobered up a little and immediately chose to sober himself up with his strength, and at the same time completely destroyed all the evidence related to alcohol under the rules.

"Ahem, thank you, Brother Diluk."

"Did I smell some brewed apples just now? Have you ever been in contact with alcohol?"

As the owner of a winery, he was very familiar with the taste of apples. However, Diluk recalled the boy's initial dull expression and still felt that something was wrong.

"no."

Yi Bai denied it outright. He hesitated for a moment and then spoke again:

"...That one, it's probably the apple-flavored slime jelly candy my brother gave me. It might taste a bit like apple brew."

"Your brother? Kaiya mentioned it to me. He seemed very keen on giving you these slime products of different flavors."

"Yeah, I like it very much." Yi Bai replied obediently.

Diluk thought about it:

"Can it be mass-produced? I'm very interested in the gel that can be added to wine for flavoring. I wonder if there's any chance for us to cooperate."

Of course.

Yi Bai would never forget that he should have been a businessman.

He suppressed his instinct to make money and said softly:

"I'll ask my brother, but I think he'll be happy with it."