Chapter 143 A drunken night, and then Barbatos…
I've grown accustomed to the intrigue, oppression, harm, and bloodshed between people.
[If I had never met Mondstadt.]
Why is this country so different? Why can't Mount Sumeru and Fontaine be like this?
Why can't all humans live such happy lives?
Mainkuhn was troubled in the church when he suddenly heard the soft sound of a door opening behind him.
Looking back, the green-clad bard, wearing gloves, a mask, and goggles, was completely covered up as he peered into the church, his voice muffled.
Hey, the cat with the crown!
That sounds quite pleasant.
"I guess you've lost your way on life's journey and need the wind to guide you?"
Mainkuhn: ...
Wendy sauntered over to the front row, trying to break the silence:
"Why aren't you saying anything? Weren't you very lively before? Jumping around in the city like a big gray squirrel..."
bass!
Before his bottom even touched the first row of seats, a cat's shadow flashed before his eyes. Upon closer inspection, Mainkuhn had already appeared as if in a flash on the last row of tables and chairs.
"...?"
Wendy looked at the cat's expressionless, seemingly unaffected face, stood up in confusion, and chased after it.
bass!
Mainkun flashed to the front row.
"Huh?"
Wendy refused to believe it and continued her pursuit.
Whoosh! From left to right.
"Um, you don't need to stay this far away from me..."
Whoosh! From right to left.
"I've taken precautions! I won't spit at you anymore!"
Whoosh! A diagonal flash appeared.
"Please say something! Please—"
In the vast cathedral, Wendy chased after the stranger between the pews at top speed, while Mainkun moved swiftly between the pews to avoid him. The childish game of whack-a-mole played out in the most solemn place in Mondstadt.
Why are you so persistent?! Wasn't my rejection clear enough?!
The cat was terrified; if it weren't for wanting to maintain its kingly image, it would have already jumped onto the ceiling.
[Have some sense of boundaries! Didn't you see the sign on the door saying it's temporarily closed!?]
"Ha ha……"
Wendy looked sweaty.
"I just wanted to talk to you... Oh!"
It's normal to fall down when you're tired from running, and it's also common to trip over a seat. Barbatos fell down perfectly logically, face down and silently.
!
A gentle breeze carried the sound of a momentarily slowed heartbeat, and something that had been moving rapidly in the room came to a standstill.
……despair.
Wendy heard the sound of shoes tapping lightly on the ground, like a cat rustling through the grass.
"Hey!"
Before Mainkun could come to check in alarm, the god jumped up first, watching the cat's ears relax from being tense.
"You've finally agreed to stop!"
"..."
The fierce king looked him up and down for a long time, and finally turned his head away with apparent impatience. Then he slowly took a few steps and sat down at the far right end of the bench.
This is the limit.
[Stranger, beware of your fragile body.]
Wendy tacitly sat down at the far left of the bench, and with the empty seats and masks between them, the long standoff finally came to a gentle end.
"……what are you up to."
This tacit understanding surprised Mainkuhn and prompted him to initiate a conversation, which was quite unusual for him.
"Hmm, what do you need to do..."
Wendy initially had many things she wanted to do.
He wanted to ask about the encounter between the cat and the rock god.
He wanted to ask about the newly blooming flowers on the snow-capped mountain.
He wanted to ask, 'What do you think of the city of Mondstadt?'
I also want to ask why the king shed tears, and why he is confused.
But all of this, faced with the young man's wary, vertical pupils and tense gaze, ultimately boiled down to one sentence.
"I came here to sing you a song."
...
[ha? ]
[You chased me all over the house just for this?]
[Another Mondstadt weirdo.]
Mainkuhn remained silent due to his lack of words, which Wendy took as tacit agreement. The god summoned a harp from somewhere, and his cloth-wrapped fingers were able to play light and cheerful notes.
"The king of a foreign land, crowned with thorns and berries."
With hurried steps, I stepped into the city walls favored by the wind.
You see the tower crumbling, old grudges have dissipated.
You see the aroma of wine filling the alley, and laughter filling the cups.
No storms crush people's hearts, no shackles bind heroes' courage.
"You are confused, like a lost bird, suddenly finding yourself in a deep forest with lush foliage."
It's like fish startled by this harbor where they can find refuge without having to fight.
You pressed on, asking why the wind here only soothes wounds instead of stirring up waves? Why the fire here only warms the body, not scorches?
"..."
Wendy saw that the beast ears, which had always been drooping, twitched slightly, and even its perpetually dejected owner turned towards him.
The singing became ethereal, as if the wind itself was whispering.
So you sneaked into the castle, intending to reveal the ugly face of the wind.
But time has passed, leaving only a piece of pure ice.
You hide in the streets and alleys, observing the ordinary joys and sorrows of human life.
Children share candy, and lovers walk hand in hand.
That laughter was jarring, more unsettling than a blade.
Because all you can control is the dark 'evil thought'.
[！！！]
Mainkun sprang up from his chair almost instantly, baring his claws in defense.
[You're not an ordinary person, who are you!?]
But the singing continued unabated.
Let the wind tell you, oh, lonely king,
There's no need to shoulder all the world's suffering.
Look at those dandelion seeds, carried by the wind, they settle firmly on the ground.
Isn't this also a way of sharing the burden of life with the earth?
Look at the Knights of Favonius, patrolling the four directions, united in purpose.
Isn't this a way of sharing the responsibility of protection?
"So let's take a break for a moment, there's no need to rush."
Let the winds of Mondstadt wipe away your unease.
It asks for nothing in return and doesn't dwell on the past.
I only wish you knew that the light here... is not unrelated to you.
The sound of poetry lingered and gradually faded into nothingness. Barbatos put down his violin and smiled at Mainkuen through his mask.
"How are you feeling, Mr. Cat?"
"After hearing this, do you feel the urge to take a long vacation in Mondstadt and escape the hustle and bustle?"
"..."
Mainkun stared blankly into his blue eyes and at the lyrics, which were full of goodwill.
The advice and comfort offered were so profound that even a deaf person could hear it.
But the cat was a stubborn cat, a cat that would never turn back. It turned its head slightly, refusing the god's advice.
"I am a beast, I have no knowledge of music theory."
The salvation of Fontaine is urgent and cannot be delayed; I cannot afford to think too much about it.
"Sigh, I guessed so."
The gods were not surprised by this answer.
How can an impromptu poem stop the footsteps of a martyr? He came in haste, and he will leave in haste as well.
So the god reached into the wind and took out a jar of fine wine.
"How can those who come to Mondstadt show sorrow?"
"Drink this cup for me, and find true joy."
"liquor?"
Maine reached out a claw and took the cup from his hand.
Unbeknownst to him, he had grown closer to the gods.
"Could it be that he's not good at drinking? Ah, that's truly a regret in life..."
"I've just never drunk it."
Despite being called alcohol, upon closer reflection, only the straightforward Kavi had ever invited me to drink with him, which was then naturally refused by the 'aloof' Wang.
But to do so is to drink with the gods...
"How could this be!"
Wendy feigned surprise, deliberately exaggerating:
"In Mondstadt, even three-year-olds are starting to drink alcohol after being weaned! And you're such a big kid now..."
"Wordy."
Being compared to a three-year-old child made Mainkuen feel a little ashamed. He thought for a moment, lifted his mask slightly, and hurriedly gulped down his drink, almost spitting it out.
"Cough, cough! It's spicy! This is alcohol? It tastes awful!"
"How could this be! This is the soul of Mondstadt! I can't even imagine how heartbroken the inhabitants of the wind would be without it... Come on, come on, you must be doing it wrong, have another drink, just one more!"
"No……"
"Hey, take off your mask and drink big... What are you covering up for? I'm a god, do you think I'd look down on you?"
In the most sacred and noble Church of the Aeolus in Mondstadt, the Aeolus himself tempts a foreign king to drink wine, defiling the temple and committing acts forbidden by dogma, all for the purpose of…
"Okay, so you said you killed a wicked witch called Mother, and let your remaining brothers and sisters escape, and then what? Drink! And then what?"
In order to get information out of her.
Is Barbatos some kind of god who can casually offer drinks to anyone? More like the opposite.
"I...I..."
Mainkuhn had never seen anything like this before, and was quickly drunk and relaxed in the false pleasure brought by alcohol.
"Of the seven gods, you're my favorite... I've loved you since I was little, hiccup! Freedom..."
"Haha, really? So cute! Want a hug? Achoo! Never mind, so what happens after you turn into a cat and find your brother?"
"Ugh, ugh... Brother, hiccup! Brother..."
"Why are you crying as soon as your brother is mentioned? Don't cry, don't cry, sweetie, tell me about the gods! What are their insights on prophecy and your plans...wait, why are you suddenly silent?"
"I can't say... I promised... I can't say... Waaah..."
"Alright, alright, I won't say... Some of the information is pretty much what I predicted, while some is quite different. I'll have to find time to tell the old man... Drink, child, drink! This is the best wine from Dawn Winery five hundred years ago, the only irreplaceable wine in Mondstadt, the best wine from the best winery!"
"Hiccup...no..."
Mainkuen covered his mouth, turned his head away, and refused to drink anymore. The alcohol had made his head a mess, making him unable to straighten up. He could only slump down on Wendy's lap and whimper.
"I feel so dizzy and uncomfortable. Is this really... Mondstadt's soul... such a wicked soul..."
"It really is true."
In an attempt to extract information, Barbatos uttered words that would drive some of the nuns mad without batting an eye.
"Even if you don't eat, you can't not drink alcohol. Alcohol is the source of human happiness, so have a little more, and then tell me what you want to do next."
"The source of happiness... No... How can I indulge in this... Next... I need to work harder!"
For some unknown reason, Mainkuen swayed as he sat up from Wendy's lap and, with his last ounce of willpower, pressed the mask back onto his face.
"Hiccup, I need to try harder..."
"Xiao En?"
Before Barbatos could finish his questioning, the man, who hadn't touched a drop of alcohol, quickly stopped him.
"Where are you going? Don't you want to chat with your favorite Barbatos?"
"We must try... it's bad wine... but it's important..."
Suddenly, a white shadow shot into the sky. Mainkun sped through the city, and after smelling a familiar scent, he smashed a roof with a claw and used black mist to bind out two sworn brothers who seemed to be arguing.
"I want!"
"Destroy Mond Winery!"
The roar reached the sky, and in a short while, many windows opened simultaneously, revealing bewildered Mondstadt heads.
"ah?"
The passersby on the ground also looked up at him blankly.
"ah?"
The patrolling knights also stopped.
"ah?"
Kaeya and Diluc were also displayed.
"ah?"
Barbatos exclaimed, "Huh?"
"Yes... destroy Mondstadt Winery... start by destroying the heir... with the heir kidnapped, Dawn Winery certainly won't have the energy to operate... and..."
In the relaxation brought on by alcohol, the not-so-'normal', already 'extraordinary' drunkard Main Kuhn recited for a while in a daze, then suddenly realized something was wrong.
"You two were just... arguing?"
"No, how can sworn brothers quarrel?"
The black mist twisted and turned, bringing Kaeya and Diluc face to face, cheek to cheek, tightly bound together.
"It looks much better."
...
"Where is it?! Let go of me!"
Diluc's face was flushed, and Kaeya's eyes were glazed over.
"……Help."
"stop!"
Falgar and many other wine-loving knights, along with countless civilians, shouted in shock and anger.
"We swear to defend Mond Winery to the death!"
In an instant, Mainkuhn received countless negative emotions.
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