Chapter 157 - 155: Barbara

Words : 1730 Updated : Sep 29th, 2025

Facing Zhongli's words, Ye fell silent for a moment. To be honest, he had completely forgotten about Longhua. After all... well... what opinion could I possibly have, right? But Zhongli's reminder made Ye realize that, indeed, he should find an opportunity to talk to Longhua. Otherwise, given the way he had set her up, she might very well storm into Fontaine to confront him. "I understand. I'll consider this matter." With those words, Ye left and quickly made his way to Mondstadt. After all, his time was limited. He had finally managed to take a break, and he didn't want work to consume all his leisure time. Collecting debts was much more interesting. So, Ye soon arrived at the front of the Favonius Cathedral. Why come here to collect debts? Well, obviously, you go after the ones who have money. Who would bother chasing after a drunkard who doesn't even have a single Mora in his pocket? —However, unexpectedly, as Ye stepped into the Favonius Cathedral and saw the scene inside, a BGM began playing in his heart, and he felt a sense of purification wash over him. This feeling... hmm, it reminded him of the time long, long ago when he first played Genshin Impact. Mondstadt truly felt more like home to Ye than Liyue. After all, Liyue was only culturally similar, and looking at Liyue didn't evoke much emotion in Ye. He had traveled through too many worlds and seen too many countries with similar cultures. But Mondstadt genuinely reminded Ye of the emotions he felt when he first played the game. It must be said, Mondstadt is a utopian nation that anyone would yearn for. This nation has no king, no politics, no partisan faith, and no rulers who stand above the people. The clergy of the Favonius Cathedral worship and serve the Anemo Archon with pure gratitude, and the knights of the Knights of Favonius are united by a simple desire to protect Mondstadt and help its people. How wonderful is that? Even if a citizen loses a cat, they can go to the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius to report it and ask for her help in finding the cat. What does that mean? Does it mean the people of Mondstadt are all overgrown babies? Of course not. Why not consider why people in some countries wouldn't even report the loss of a bicycle or even a cow? Is it because the people of that country are very independent? No, it's because the people of that country know that such "trivial matters" won't be handled by the authorities. In fact, this is a very "normal" way of thinking, a so-called "normal" thought that naturally arises in people living in a "normal" country. Mondstadt is not normal. The main reason the people of Mondstadt don't think this way is that, in their common sense, they believe that no matter what difficulty they face, they can go to the Knights of Favonius for help. Whether it's a big or small matter, the Knights of Favonius will handle it. Even the Acting Grand Master is no different from an ordinary knight—someone you can turn to for help with any problem. And the main reason this common sense exists is because Mondstadt has a widespread cultural belief that becoming a Knight of Favonius is an honor, a way to protect Mondstadt and help its people. Becoming a Knight of Favonius isn't about climbing to a high position, gaining power, or amassing wealth. It's about protecting Mondstadt and helping its people... That's why Mondstadt is a nation where you can even ask the seemingly lofty rulers to help you find a lost cat. Because the people of this nation don't see Mondstadt as having rulers. They admire and revere the Grand Master or Acting Grand Master, the protectors of Mondstadt, and aspire to be like them, but they don't see them as untouchable rulers who govern over them. Everyone has their own role and position, and everyone freely chooses their place in Mondstadt according to their own will. Thus, Mondstadt is a completely utopian nation. In Ye's eyes, such a dreamlike country could only exist in a 2D world. It defies common sense, but it's impossible not to be moved by it and deeply love it. If Ye were to name the country he most wanted to live in, Mondstadt would undoubtedly be at the top of the list. A long, long time ago... for Ye, it really was a long time ago, back before he transmigrated to this fantasy world. In terms of his personal sense of time, it had been tens of thousands of years. Back then, Ye had grown very tired of an extraordinary life, so his only wish was to live an ordinary life until he died. In this life where even being ordinary was impossible, his only joy was probably 2D culture. Anime, manga, novels, games—that's how he engaged with these things back then. And it was during that time that Ye had a similar thought—it would be nice to live in Mondstadt. Now, Ye suddenly remembered that feeling again. What to do, Lady Furina? I suddenly feel like switching sides again, huh? —This thought didn't last long. Because as he walked further into the cathedral, Ye soon saw the scene that completely shattered the beautiful illusion in his heart. "No! There's nothing!" "Lord Barbatos! Where are you?" "Ah! Lord Barbatos, your devout follower begs for your blessing! I swear I will treat you well, take good care of you, and honor you properly!" "Why is it Dvalin again? Not that I have anything against Lord Dvalin... but I want Lord Barbatos!!" All the filters shattered in an instant. Inside the cathedral, a group of clergy and non-clergy believers had gathered, and they were... opening card packs. The sacred cathedral was now filled with wails of despair, the echoes full of mournful pleas. Ye saw the back of a girl who had appeared frequently in his dreams, Barbara, kneeling devoutly in prayer. In front of her were at least a thousand Yu-Gi-Oh! card packs stacked together. She would pray, open a pack, pray, open another pack, pray, open another pack... Looking at the pile of at least a thousand empty packs and thousands of cards beside her, one could imagine how long she had been repeating this ritual. Madness, absolute madness. Ye almost couldn't help but look dumbfounded. You really wouldn't know how deep Mondstadt's faith in the Anemo Archon was unless you saw this scene. After all, the believers of the Anemo Archon never expected Barbatos to help them. They were the ideal form of believers—grateful to their god but never demanding anything in return. So this situation... actually wasn't that surprising, was it? Don't get it wrong. Even though he never shows himself, the purity of Mondstadt's faith in Venti is incredibly high—with a few exceptions. The more Ye looked at this scene, the more he realized how deeply Venti had been hiding! How do gods grow stronger? By strengthening themselves through the faith of their people. Don't doubt this. From a game perspective alone, you can know this is true. Gods really do grow stronger through the faith of their people. You might think Venti is tricking you, but you wouldn't think Nahida is tricking you, would you? She's the most honest god the Traveler has ever met. Nahida also clearly stated that her power was so weak because the people of Sumeru all worshiped the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. And in the game's text, it's also mentioned that gods accumulate faith to strengthen their power. This setting is absolutely real. There are two ways to use the power of faith. One is like Furina, who didn't use any of it to strengthen herself. Instead, aside from a small portion used to sustain Fontaine's daily needs, she accumulated the rest to create a single, devastatingly powerful attack—even strong enough to destroy a divine throne... Furina used the power of faith as a one-time consumable. The other way is to use it to permanently strengthen one's own power, turning it from a one-time resource into a permanent enhancement. So, the question is, looking at this scene, Venti... Is he like Furina, accumulating faith as a final trump card, or is he using faith to strengthen his own power? Or... is he doing both? Even Ye couldn't tell. The only thing he could be sure of was—there was no way Venti hadn't accumulated any faith over the millennia. Looking at the purity of Mondstadt's faith, that old man was hiding his cards very close to his chest. Ye couldn't help but feel a sense of wariness toward him. He had to be careful, or he might get tricked by him someday. —But then again, he was the creditor now. So Ye regained his confidence and prepared to start collecting debts. He walked up behind Barbara, about to call out to her—but just as he was about to speak, Barbara seemed to sense something dangerous. She shuddered, immediately opened her eyes from her prayer, and turned her head. The face of a black-haired, black-eyed man instantly came into her view. "You... you... don't...!" Barbara's face turned nervous as she turned around, shifting from a kneeling position to sitting, scooting backward with her white-stockinged legs kicking wildly, trying to put distance between herself and Ye. "..." To be honest, Ye felt quite hurt. Why was it that whether in dreams or reality, Barbara always reacted this way when she saw him? Even though he loved Barbara just as much as Albert did, even placing her high on his list of favorites in his dreams, second only to Furina, why did she... huh? Could it be that she was so scared by the multiplayer dreams that she reacted this way even in reality? Ye had discovered the key point, and he fell even more silent. Great. This was the first time he encountered a girl from his dreams reacting this way to him in reality, so he had no idea how to respond.

Chapter 157 - 155: Barbara

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