Chapter 211 His true identity is revealed for the first time; a stranger he has never met before…
"?"
Xumi Fang stared at Zhongli in disbelief.
"I have a feeling that our country's winning percentage suddenly dropped sharply just now..." Sino murmured.
"Look what you've done!"
Kavi went even further and repeatedly poked Elhesen in the chest.
"A formidable rival! And the Wise Prince adores him!"
"..."
Honestly, all Elhesen wanted back then was to kick Mainkuen out and make a non-human friend; that was better than being scared and hiding in the house.
Who knew that Mainkun would suddenly have such good luck, pulling out the Rock King Emperor on his first try.
This friend is very good; he has provided the wise king with much guidance, but the problem is that he is too good...
"Why are you staring at me, Mr. Al-Hysen?"
Zhongli keenly noticed the scholar's gaze.
"Whether it's a king or a junior, Liyue should have no shortage of them."
El-Hysen bluntly probed.
Zhongli smiled slightly and gently patted the shoulder of the little bird beside her, "There are never too many good children."
...This is bad.
El-Heinz turned his gaze back to the image with a blank expression, where Mainkuhn and Zhongli quickly became acquainted.
"Afraid of humans? Yet forced to live with them... Hahaha, Mr. En, your fear is not pure."
“Escape cannot overcome fear. Here, take this. The tranquility of Liyue’s highest peak signifies transcendence and peace. Give it to the person you feel is most suitable.”
Al-Hysen immediately recalled a dried flower that had been tucked inside a book.
I really don't know whether this outcome is more beneficial or detrimental to Sumeru.
“Elhesen doesn’t really like flowers, but he still carefully preserved that Qingxin. Zhongli, I feel very happy. Is that normal?”
"Daily life with friends is always so natural and joyful."
"...I'm not sure if we're friends. I did terrible things to his country. I'm a bad guy."
"Then why would he bother keeping the villain's flowers?"
"……ah."
Mainkuhn's eyes lit up when he was suddenly enlightened. He had a cat-like mind, and his dullness often led his thinking into dead ends. He needed someone to enlighten him.
'...'
The memories do not reveal any strong inner thoughts, leaving the audience unable to know what this young man, who has lost many friends, is thinking.
They could only watch as time slowly passed, and on an ordinary day, Kavi excitedly swirled into the Palace of Wisdom with open arms.
"Project complete! Hahahaha!!"
He glanced at Maine, who was studying with Elhesen, and swayed his hips to dance right in front of him.
"King of Wrath! I've finally built the first school in the desert! Hahahaha! What should I call it? Hope? It's a classic, but it's a bit unoriginal..."
"Call it the Branch of the Order of the Order, it's simple and clear."
Al-Hysen stared blankly at the papers he had finished grading.
"Is this your epistemological aesthetics? Even more rigid than Naoki's. Which of us is the humanities major here?"
"The king of the land of wisdom is not good at learning, so why should I be judged by stereotypes?"
Although he said that, Elhesen was also thinking about a new name in response to Kavi's protest.
"If it can embody the spirit of unity and solidarity..."
Just then, a soft yet clear voice rang out:
"Lanalo Primary School".
"It's quite cute, and I'd probably like it among students, but there's no Lanaro in the desert," Kavi retorted with a laugh. "If the name could evoke the arrival of a new era... wait, who suggested Lanaro Elementary School just now?!"
The great architect looked down in disbelief, only to see the usually silent Cat King, who rarely spoke unless absolutely necessary, twitch his ear at him.
"There will be some in the future."
"Whether it's Lanalo or hope."
"There will be more in the future; grass has already grown in the sand."
He refuted Kavi's remarks and offered a hopeful vision.
...
After a long silence from the scholars, Mainkuhn shrank back somewhat timidly in his chair: "No, isn't that wrong?"
"No."
Elhesen blinked slowly, his eyes dry from being stared at.
"Your progress is amazing."
"That's absolutely right!! Let's call it Lanaluo Elementary School!! My God! King Li, you..."
After a brief cheer, Kavi's eyes suddenly reddened with inexplicable emotion. He looked at the boy whose eyes were darting around but who was still sitting there obediently watching him, and he felt inexplicably like to cry.
"The progress is too great! Is this what they call a nurturing system? My God! Today is like a double celebration! Lord Li, let's go! We need to go to the tavern for a drink!"
"...Spare me."
Mainkuhn immediately jumped off the chair and ran away.
Just as the cat jumped off the chair, Leosley suddenly noticed that his trousers were a little too short.
Mainkuhn is growing taller.
He is growing up.
In countries beyond one's sight.
"……very nice."
"If things can stay this way, that would be good."
Those were days that were too good to pass up.
The deep resentment was almost diluted by the intense love; the old, decaying worms in the mud could only see the unexpected tyrant growing stronger and more robust under the sun, just like the Sumeru Kingdom that once belonged to them.
We hate you...
We love you!
Children with fair and dark skin held hands, as if there had never been a thousand-year-old barrier. The sand-blocking barrier was pushed down by the cat-eared king with one hand, and as far as the eye could see, there was an endless green plain.
Then a man with golden horns was led there by a brown-haired immortal, his divinely bestowed eyes filled with a dazed look.
“Mo…Zhongli, the little cat you’ve raised is quite capable.”
Blood seeped from the narrow edges of the mask, but what followed was the bounty of the people.
A mottled crown.
A crown of extraordinary significance.
"So, Mainkuhn wasn't fooled; he knew he was being scammed?"
A blush suddenly rose on Funina's face as she recalled her words before the trial, in which she angrily denounced the Sumeru Man as a fraud.
"Do you people have to express your approval in such a roundabout and romantic way? Mainkuhn actually accepted it all... I really don't know what to say to you..."
Beneath the complaints tinged with hidden joy lay a bitterness that was difficult for ordinary people to comprehend.
Oh dear, I came here with the intention of protecting Mainkun, but now that I see it, the god who doesn't cooperate at all seems more like the villain.
Sigh, although I know Mainkun won't blame me, I still feel a little lonely.
We should be the closest people, right?!
Regret was suddenly replaced by tension. Funina stood up abruptly, looking incredulously at the image that was almost completely blurred with mosaic.
Just as a flower withers after its peak bloom, Mainkun once again went on a killing spree in front of the green-haired girl and the terrified Tina.
But the bloody scene actually overshadowed the main attraction; what truly captured the audience's attention was—
"Mainkuhn was born a corpse; it was love and expectation that gave him the color of life."
"absurd!!"
Navelette struck the ground with her staff, unleashing her pent-up rage.
"You first denied Mainkuhn's autonomy over his life with unverified statements, and now you're going to deny his life altogether?!"
He reached out and pinched the unconscious youth's cheek hard.
"It's hot!"
"Wow, that's quite a strong reaction!"
When Tinari voiced his opinion, he was forced to face the Dragon King's wrath, which terrified him so much that his tail stood on end.
“There’s nothing we can do.” Seno shielded him behind him. “This is completely different from the previous speculation that he ‘acted according to the wishes of others.’ Nobody wants their friends or family to be described as dead or as corpses.”
"Don't say such strange things."
Even the usually good-tempered Duke Leosley's expression turned slightly cold.
"I raised him myself, how could I not know whether he's alive or dead?"
He gripped Mainkuen’s intact arm tightly, feeling the blood flowing beneath the compressed skin.
Alive.
"How can we take the ravings of a demon god's remnant seriously? Even that girl named Cora is clearly not old enough to be responsible for her words."
"Don't be afraid."
Whether her rebuttals were fierce or firm, they all received a look of divine favor, and Nasita looked gently toward the defendant's dock.
"We are here precisely to solve the problem."
"No, you don't understand at all. Giving life and repairing limbs are two completely different concepts."
Navelette adjusted her breathing, trying to calm herself, but her gaze on the alchemical array began to waver involuntarily.
"I thought he would only undergo a simple restoration ritual, but it turns out it starts with the ethereal creation process..."
Will Mainkun wake up?
Is Mainkun still healthy?
Navelette felt her heart pounding faster with these questions.
"Produce evidence, or this court will not accept the view that Mainkuhn was born a corpse!"
“I understand that fear always goes hand in hand with resistance; you just hate the future you’re losing.”
Just then, the side door of the courtroom was pushed open, breaking the tense atmosphere. Nasita looked over at the sound.
"Oh, Desia, Sesos, and Mr. Raymondo, you've finally arrived."
"This journey has been tough!" Dixia yawned widely. "First, we went to Narukami Shrine to investigate, then we submitted materials to Fontaine Academy of Sciences, and after getting the results, we rushed all the way here. Sigh! We haven't had a moment's rest!"
“Isn’t it because you’re too excited?” Sysos opened his green eyes and challenged him. “There were plenty of breaks along the way.”
"Hey, you little rascal—"
"Quiet!" Navelette raised her hand to stop their noise.
"Ms. Nasita, what instructions did these two belated witnesses receive from you?"
“They brought evidence, Your Honor.”
A hint of pity appeared on Nasita's lips.
“Real evidence that none of us want to see, yet which does exist.”
"...Why don't you let me speak first?"
Fontaine scientist Raymondo took a painful, deep breath in front of the entire audience.
"How could this happen? Biology no longer exists..."
He walked weakly to the front of the stage, muttering to himself. To the left of the scientist, Desia frowned and showed the crowd a section of forearm bone with a palm. To the right, Cethos took out an old skull that was clearly that of a small animal from a box.
"That arm...! Did the lynx lose an arm?"
Many eyes began to focus on the sleeping Mainkuhn, and at that moment, Raymondo let out a desperate groan.
"The Fontainebleau Academy of Sciences has confirmed that Sample A and Sample B are father and son. This conclusion is absolutely true and irrefutable."
...
…ah?
What is that?
The room fell silent.
"Why the silence? Is it suspicion?" Lei Yingdong frowned, then stepped forward. "I can prove that the severed arm belongs to Mainkuhn..."
"Shut up, my dear!" The fox forcefully pushed her back into her seat.
"Father and son."
Leosley stared silently at the kitten skull, which was no bigger than half his fist.
Even though he knew that half of Mainkun's bloodline wasn't human...
"I don't really want to see Uncle at this time... Should I call him Uncle?"
“Okay, we’ve already seen Mainkuen’s father’s… remains.” Navelette stammered for once, as this was the first time he had ever witnessed such a scene.
"What are you trying to prove with this?"
"Cesos, give me the box."
The delicate, brittle bones were scattered at the bottom of the box, interspersed with talismans for warding off evil. The only intact part was the head.
Nasita held it in her palm and reconnected with the earth's veins, forcibly summoning even more ancient and distant images.
"I want to confirm Mainkuhn's helplessness, the helplessness of the cat, a dark flower forced to bloom."
"Also, haven't you always wondered why Mainkun rejected bad wishes? The answer is right here."
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Author's Note: The next chapter tells the story of Maine's parents.
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