Happy times are always fleeting.
After the two finished playing and singing to their hearts’ content, Barbatos put away his lyre and winked at Moh.
“Since you’ve made a rare visit, let me show you around Mondstadt.”
Moh looked at him.
“On foot?”
“Of course not.” Barbatos gave a thumbs-up, pointing smoothly to his side.
Dvalin glanced at Barbatos with a highly complex expression.
“Using me as a mount again?”
“How can you call yourself a mount?” Barbatos said righteously.
“Dvalin, you frequently patrol all of Mondstadt and know where the scenery is most beautiful. Aren’t I asking you to be our guide?”
Dvalin rolled his eyes.
But he still lowered his body to let the two of them climb aboard.
Moh stepped onto Dvalin’s back.
The texture was unexpectedly not the cold scales of a traditional dragon, but furry and so soft it made one want to roll around.
He reached out and patted it; the feel was incredibly soft.
Snezhnaya also had giant war beasts bred by the fairies, but a wind dragon like Dvalin was indeed a first for him.
“Hold on tight,” Dvalin said.
He flapped his wings and took flight.
The sensation of riding a dragon and soaring on the wind was indescribable.
A refreshing breeze brushed past their cheeks, and Mondstadt’s rolling hills rose and fell below like a vast green carpet.
Flying southwest from Starsnatch Cliff, they crossed the Temple of the Thousand Winds and looked down at the shimmering Falcon Coast.
Flying west over Windrise, the towering ancient tree cast a massive shadow under the sunlight.
Further ahead lay Cider Lake, which guarded Mondstadt, its waters crystal clear.
Finally, they flew up over Springvale.
Cooking smoke curled into the air, and they could faintly make out townsfolk walking about outside their houses.
“It’s completely different from the snowy landscape of Snezhnaya,” Moh said.
“As expected of the Crown of the North.”
Barbatos smiled.
The wind flowed past them, carrying the scent of Cecilias.
“Speaking of which,” Barbatos suddenly spoke up, “Istaroth mentioned you to me.”
Moh turned to look at him.
“She said your descent is like a butterfly flapping its wings. The wingbeats fluttered in Snezhnaya will whip up a gale capable of changing destiny in other regions.”
Moh raised an eyebrow.
“Oh? You aren’t avoiding her name now?”
“Ah, you really startled me back then,” Barbatos waved his hand.
“I couldn’t say it in front of so many people. But now we’re high in the sky, and there’s no one else but you, me, and Dvalin. Besides, the wind is willing to keep my secrets.”
He paused, then continued, “Istaroth told me to get on your good side. She said you could change the fate of the world.”
Moh crossed his arms and looked at him.
“No wonder you were so familiar from the very start. This is our first time meeting.”
His fondness for Barbatos was entirely because he had played that game called Genshin Impact in his past life and knew the Anemo Archon was a good person.
Venti had been his reliable companion when exploring Teyvat in the early game; for those hard-to-reach Oculi or places where he was too lazy to solve puzzles, the Anemo Archon’s wind currents were simply the best exploration tool.
If, during the Archon War, some god had dared to sneak into his tent, he wouldn’t have treated them to wine, but to a volley of ice spears instead.
But of course, he couldn’t say these things aloud.
“Changing the world…” Moh mused.
“If you’re expecting me to shake the order established by the Primordial One, to be honest, it would be extremely difficult.”
Barbatos’s eyes widened.
“Wow, you’re that bold? As expected of an outsider.”
“Hmm?” Moh looked at him.
“Weren’t you talking about rebellion?”
“Uh…” Barbatos scratched his cheek.
“I meant changing some tragedies within the bounds of the established order.”
He looked into the distance.
“Istaroth said that because of you, certain events in Mondstadt have been altered to some extent. Though she couldn’t go into too much detail, I have a vague feeling of it myself.”
The two stared at each other in silence.
Dvalin kept looking up, terrified that a celestial nail would drop from the heavens.
“Me?” Moh pointed to himself.
“I’ve always operated within the Snezhnaya region. If I had to say, before becoming an Archon, I once visited Remuria. But the transit area was also the Nod-Krai region, taking a detour through the Natlan border.”
“I don’t recall interfering in Mondstadt’s affairs, nor have I sent any fairies to set foot here.
Since you say so,” Moh said, “could you tell me the current history of Mondstadt?”
Barbatos did not answer immediately.
He looked down at the land below—the giant tree of Windrise, the shimmering waters of Starfell Lake, and the distant spires of Mondstadt.
“History…”
Dvalin pricked up his ears to listen to this history that he had not been a part of.
Barbatos summoned his lyre.
His fingertips lightly plucked the strings, the sound like the first falling leaf when the wind rises.
“I was originally a wisp of breeze, fortunate to receive the favor of Istaroth and gain the authority of time. At that time, the flames of war spread across Mondstadt. The Wolf King roared as he swept over the northern snowfields, while the King of High Towers’ tempests swirled atop his spire, all just to contest the seven seats reserved in the high heavens. Andrius came from the snowfields, bringing the chill of frost; Decarabian ruled from his tower, imprisoning the freedom of all living things. The Wolf King’s strength waned, on the verge of collapse, while the wails of humanity drifted on the wind.”
The music suddenly grew passionate.
Seeing Barbatos so engrossed in his performance, Moh made a mental *click* and began recording the memory into a Light Cone.
As a former Memookeeper, he could not turn a blind eye to precious history worth recording.
“I heard the cries of the millions within the tower, yearning for a breeze of unbound freedom.
I partnered with hope, uniting the wills of all to form an impregnable fortress.
Ragnvindr traversed the dark night, linking the light inside and outside the tower.
Gunnhildr rushed through the battle lines, gathering the spears of rebellion.
Lawrence opened the granaries, providing grain to all.
A lyre-playing bard sounded the clarion call of the charge;
The warrior Vennessa held her sword as the vanguard, leading the people to shatter the high walls.
The once-enslaved huntress shattered the thousand-year wind barrier with a single arrow.
The Wolf King roared, the gentle breeze whispered, and humans and gods walked hand-in-hand—
The high tower crumbled, and the lonely king finally fell.”
Venti’s fingers swept across the strings for one last note, its resonance lingering.
After listening, Moh raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Hmm, Vennessa, Lawrence… I recall those events happened two or three hundred years ago?”
“Yes, the complete end of the Archon War was marked recently when the Liyue region confirmed the old gent as the victor, but Mondstadt concluded even earlier.”
Barbatos put away his lyre and leaned closer.
“Are you very concerned about Vennessa and the Lawrence Clan?”
Moh did not reply immediately.
He searched his mind for the earliest Light Cone.
After transmigrating and becoming a Memookeeper, he had purposely locked the memories of his past life into a Light Cone—mainly to prevent his colleagues from snooping, and out of fear of forgetting.
In his past life, he could be considered a veteran fan of Genshin Impact.
Though he wasn’t as deeply knowledgeable as those lore analysts, he still prided himself on knowing a bit of history.
In the original history, Mondstadt had two major turning points.
The first was the overthrow of the King of High Towers, where the Anemo Archon blew away the snowstorms, established the new Mondstadt, and Dvalin was born.
The second was after Barbatos fell asleep again.
The old aristocracy restored its rule, and the awakened Barbatos, along with the slave Vennessa, overthrew the aristocratic regime to return freedom to the people.
Hundreds or even thousands of years lay in between.
Yet the current point in time was situated somewhere between the two.
In the original history, after the Wolf King suffered a setback and retreated, the King of High Towers ruled for a period.
Then, members of the Gunnhildr Clan escaped the tower and encountered Barbatos, who was still just a wind spirit.
Barbatos united the dissatisfied humans and, with the help of the Wolf King, overthrew the King of High Towers.
The biggest change was that during the conflict between the Wolf King and the King of High Towers, Barbatos had directly participated.
In his narrative, Barbatos first obtained Istaroth’s help and entered the fray directly.
And Vennessa, the Knight of the South Wind who was supposed to debut centuries later during the era of the old aristocracy, had already appeared now?
Even more absurdly, the Lawrence Clan, the villainous nobles in the original script, actually held a positive image at this moment, even helping to overthrow the King of High Towers?
Moh pulled back his thoughts and looked at Venti.
“I am indeed a bit curious. How are those companions who rebelled alongside you doing now?”
Barbatos pondered for a moment.
“Hmm, the Gunnhildr, Ragnvindr, and Lawrence clans have all passed down their lineages. Now they are prestigious families supporting Mondstadt, the Knights, and the Church. My good friend, the bard who played the lyre, has already passed away peacefully from old age—the form I take now is borrowed from him. Once this banquet is over, I plan to temporarily step down from my divine duties and travel the continent in his guise. As for that female archer, after shooting that legendary arrow, she was no longer able to draw a bow due to her physical condition. But she was quite content. According to her, she got to see the glance of her beloved as she wished. I won’t comment much on her romance, but there is still a statue of her standing in Springvale today.”
Moh nodded.
“So the Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius who welcomed us is indeed Vennessa?”
“Yes, she is currently the Knight of the South Wind, also known as the Lionfang Knight, Vennessa. Back then, Mondstadt was in ruins, and there was a shortage of people everywhere. At my request, Vennessa stayed behind, and I used the power of time to freeze her years. But with the war across the continent over, she can finally lay down her burden and get some proper rest—otherwise, she’d accuse me of exploiting humans.”
Looking at the relaxed smile on Barbatos’s face, the faces of those who had passed away in the game’s PVs flashed through Moh’s mind.
“You have a very close relationship with your companions,” he said.
“Though I cannot explain too much, this is a rather happy ending.”
Venti tilted his head and suddenly leaned closer.
“Oh? I’m quite curious as to what you’re comparing it to in order to reach that conclusion.”
Moh pointed a finger toward the sky.
“Can’t say,” he said with a righteous expression.
“That one’s control over speech is rather petty.” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Venti blinked, a playful grin appearing on his face.
“Has anyone ever told you that you are incredibly brave?”
Moh’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he thought: *Am I pushing my luck making Heavenly Principles jokes in front of the Anemo Archon?
Well, as a Nameless, doing absurd things is perfectly understandable.*
Yet his expression still maintained the elegance and composure befitting a god.
“I’m incredibly gutsy.”
Barbatos immediately doubled over in laughter, almost slipping off Dvalin’s back.
Dvalin spoke up gloomily from the front.
“Could you two pay a little attention? I’d still like to live for a few more years.”
“Don’t worry,” Barbatos patted his back.
“If that one throws anything down, they’ll strike us first. It won’t hit you.”
Dvalin: “…That comfort is worse than saying nothing.”
Moh looked at the comical duo, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly.
In the games from his past life stored within the Light Cone, Mondstadt during the Archon War suffered countless casualties and endless tragedies.
Afterward, Barbatos fell into a deep slumber, only to wake up and find his people enslaved.
Vennessa ascended to Celestia and never returned.
Most of the companions who once fought side-by-side were buried in the dust of history.
For Barbatos, the current history could indeed be called perfect.
Barbatos proposed, “My dear Monomakh, won’t you really consider staying in Mondstadt a bit longer? I can take you to see the ruins of Decarabian, the God of Storms’ capital, the scenery of Dragonspine… though you might be tired of snowy landscapes. After we return from the banquet, there’s no need to rush back to Snezhnaya, right? I want to keep composing music with you.”
Moh: “We’ll see. But since I’m already here, I really should stay for a few more days.”
Dvalin spoke up gloomily from the front, “Are you two finished talking? Because I need to turn now.”
“Go ahead and turn, then,” Venti patted Dvalin’s neck.
“Thanks for your hard work. I’ll bring you along to the Seven’s banquet. I hear that Morax and Xbalanque both have dragon companions. Perhaps you can mingle with your own kind.”
“I hope the ‘mingling’ you speak of isn’t just you going off to drink and leaving me behind by myself,” Dvalin complained, but he obediently turned nonetheless.
The wind whistled past their ears.
Moh looked down at the land of Mondstadt below, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.
History had been altered.
Although the extent of the change wasn’t massive, it had indeed been altered.
Vennessa had debuted two or three hundred years early, the Lawrence Clan actually had a positive image in the early days, and Barbatos had directly participated in the Archon War…
Were these changes truly related to him?
Could the wings he flapped in Snezhnaya truly reach across the entire continent and affect this place?
Among the Four Shades of the Heavenly Principles, his relationship with Istaroth was the closest.
He also got along well with Naberius and Ronova, while his relationship with Asmoday was just average.
He had shared some things about the universe with Istaroth, and the situation was not very optimistic.
Whether it was the spreading [Destruction] and [Finality], or the resurging Swarm Disaster.
For a planet like Teyvat that had never integrated into the galaxy to remain hidden for so many years amidst the conflicts of the Aeons was truly no small feat.
Even the Astral Express, which Moh considered the “protagonist” of this world, could not escape this conflict.
But the actions of the Heavenly Principles, while offering protection, also greatly constrained the people of this land, sheltering Teyvat like an eggshell.
Yet an egg only experiences new life when it hatches from within; if cracked open from the outside, it only ends up as food on someone else’s plate.
Perhaps thousands of years later, someone would raise the banner of rebellion against Her, proving to Her that the people here had the courage to break free from being annihilated by the outside world?
It was highly possible that helping Barbatos secure an early victory in the Mondstadt region was just a casual move on Istaroth’s part.
As a Nameless, shouldn’t he also sow some seeds of [Trailblaze]?
“What are you thinking about?” Venti leaned over to ask.
Moh retrieved his thoughts.
“Just thinking about the history you mentioned.”
“Oh? Any thoughts?”
“My thoughts are…” Moh paused.
“You’re quite lucky.”
Venti raised an eyebrow.
“How so?”
“Most of those companions had happy endings,” Moh said.
“That’s quite rare during the Archon War.”
“Indeed,” Barbatos’s voice was as light as the wind.
“Which is why I cherish it very much.”
Dvalin carried them across Cider Lake, and the outline of Mondstadt became clearer and clearer.
White city walls, red roofs, and massive windmills slowly turning.
In the plaza at the center of the city, some people looked up, saw them, and waved in cheer.