thefictionvixens Chapter 1198 The Generous Zhongli?
Chapter 1198 The Generous Zhongli?
Let's go back to the moment when Tvalin and Zhongli met.
After recounting the plan Qin had told him to resurrect the wind god, which had been suppressed under the mountain, Dvalin complained to Zhongli:
"This is Mondstadt's core plan right now. It sounds promising, but in reality, it's incredibly difficult to get it moving!"
"The Church of the West Wind has now split into two factions. One faction believes that Barbatos has fallen and Mondstadt cannot be without the Wind God, so they support me and say that we should follow the times and officially enthrone me as the new Wind God."
"But the other faction still clings to the idea that 'Barbatos will return,' refuses to accept the new wind god, and continues to spread the claim that 'Barbatos has not truly died.'"
At this point, Tvalin couldn't help but sigh.
"The church is splitting up, but the people are in even more trouble. Most Mondstadt residents are confused right now."
"They remembered Barbatos's kindness in protecting Mondstadt, but could not forgive its later foolish act of kidnapping travelers."
"They both hope for a new wind god to stabilize the situation and are full of doubt about me, their successor who is 'born into the family'."
"Therefore, there is not much faith power that can be gathered in me. Even if I want to contribute to the resurrection plan, I don't have enough power."
Then, Tvalin quickly added, "Of course, this might also be related to the fact that the Cathedral of the West Wind has not yet been rebuilt!"
"The West Wind Cathedral was bombed by Shao Yun. Now believers don't even have a proper place to pray, so it's normal that their faith is scattered..."
Despite saying that, there was clearly a lack of confidence in his tone.
The fact that the church has not been rebuilt is only a secondary reason; the fundamental problem is the "crack in trust" in the hearts of the people.
After listening to Dvalin's complaints, Zhongli finally understood how severe the social divisions in Mondstadt were.
Looking at Dvalin's helpless expression, he said apologetically, "Barbatos's kidnapping of Miss Ying was indeed beyond all our expectations at the time."
"But what's done is done, and there's no use in regretting it now. We can only look forward and try to mend this rift."
Dvalin looked at Zhongli's regretful expression and was troubled. The Mondstadt people no longer believed him because of the stupid things the Anemo Archon had done... This was a disaster.
"How can we rebuild our faith? What should we do..."
Upon hearing the word "faith" from Dvarin, Zhongli vaguely connected it with a strange incident related to "faith" that had occurred recently.
"Faith? Speaking of which, do you know a girl named Barbara?"
When Tvalin, who was trapped under the mountain, heard Zhongli suddenly mention Barbara, he said in surprise:
“I know this girl well; she’s a loyal follower of Barbatos, but she never knew that Barbatos was disguised as the bard ‘Wendy.’”
At this point, Tvalin paused, then spoke highly of Barbara, saying:
"However, she is indeed an outstanding girl. Her faith in Barbatos is pure and unwavering, and has never wavered in the slightest. No one in Mondstadt can match her devotion."
After hearing Dvalin's assessment, Zhongli thoughtfully stroked his chin and muttered, "So that's how it is... A faithful believer, a steadfast faith..."
His suspicions became clearer, and the previous scattered doubts seemed to have reasonable explanations.
A moment later, Zhongli looked up and shared with Dvalin a strange incident that had recently occurred in Liyue.
"Recently, an unusual problem has emerged in Liyue: a large-scale temple fair is being held in Liyue, during which many Liyue residents are spontaneously praying to my statue."
"Logically, I should have been able to clearly feel the power of their faith, but strangely, I received almost no feedback from the people during that period."
He paused, his gaze fixed on Tvalin, and posed his question.
"Based on your description of Barbara, do you think this strange event might be related to Miss Barbara? After all, she is Jyn's sister, and it might be connected to Barbatos's resurrection plan."
Dvalin instantly understood Zhongli's implication and asked in return, "Are you suspecting that Barbara stole the faith that the people of Liyue had in you during the Liyue Festival?"
Zhongli wasn't entirely sure either, and said uncertainly, "Before talking to you, I only had a vague feeling that something was wrong and listed her as a potential suspect."
"Now that I've heard your assessment of her, and know that she's deeply devoted to Barbatos, I have some doubts that she'll stop at nothing to achieve her resurrection plan."
"But... I still can't figure out how she managed to steal the power of faith that should have belonged to me so quietly."
Dvalin fell into deep thought: "Faith... could it be using the technology of the Fools?"
……
Barbara stood beside the statue of the rock god, her ears ringing.
When Zhongli said things like "I went to find the second Anemo Archon Dvalin" and "I didn't receive the faith power of the Liyue people," a chilling truth suddenly surfaced.
The composed and composed guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth before me was no ordinary person. He was clearly the legendary Rock God "Morax" who had long since perished!
"So, you are the Geo Archon, Morax?" Barbara took a half-step back in disbelief, staggering and almost bumping into the base of the statue behind her.
"You...you weren't dead? At the Liyue summoning ceremony, everyone thought you had returned to dust!"
Barbara is in a real panic right now.
She actually stole the power of faith that should have belonged to the Rock God right under his nose!
What's the difference between this and pulling a tooth out of a tiger's mouth?
Now that she's been exposed, won't she be doomed to die without a burial place?
No, no! She hasn't resurrected her god Barbatos yet, and she hasn't seen the day when the wind god returns to Teyvat. She absolutely cannot die here like this!
Seeing Barbara's nervous and flustered state, Zhongli didn't immediately press her for details. Instead, he softened his tone and calmly explained the truth behind his "death."
"Yes, everyone thinks Morax is dead, but I have not truly perished."
"The 'fake death' during the summoning ceremony, and what happened afterward, was just me testing Liyue."
"It's just a test of whether Liyue, ruled by humans, can overcome difficulties independently and move towards a new future without divine protection."
Then, Zhongli changed the subject and brought up the unusual events that occurred during the temple fair.
"During the festival, I realized that the faith that the people of Liyue gathered did not come to me."
He walked slowly toward Barbara, making her even more careful with her breathing.
"Although faith is not the absolute factor that determines combat power for demon gods, powerful demon gods can still stand firm even if they lose their faith, relying on their own divine power."
"But faith is absolutely not insignificant in its role in the bond between gods and their people, or in the stability of a land."
At this point, Zhongli stopped and stared intently at Barbara.
"At first I thought it was the Abyss Order doing something behind the scenes, but after I went to Mondstadt a few days ago and spoke with Lord Dvalin, I finally understood."
"So it was you, Miss Barbara, who was familiar with the workings of faith, had the motive to steal faith, and was connected to the Barbatos resurrection plan."
Upon hearing Zhongli's confident words, Barbara's taut nerves snapped instantly.
Her legs buckled and she collapsed to her knees on the cold ground with a thud. The pain of her knees hitting the rocks was far less intense than the panic in her heart.
She braced herself on the ground with both hands, crying and apologizing incoherently.
Of course, whether this was just an act or a genuine expression of emotion remains to be seen...
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I had no other choice..."
“After the snowstorm in Mondstadt, the people’s trust in the wind god was shattered, and they no longer want to worship Barbatos… I really can’t find any other way to gather faith…”
Tears blurred her vision, and she choked out the bitterness hidden in her heart.
“My sister Jean… She’s shouldering all the pressure in Mondstadt by herself. She has to deal with the resurrection of the Anemo Archon and calm the people’s emotions. I see her so exhausted every day that she can’t even eat. It really breaks my heart…”
“I can’t just stand by and watch her carry the weight of everything in Mondstadt on her shoulders… so I want to resurrect Barbatos so my sister can have an easier time…”
She sniffed and pleaded desperately, "I know I did wrong. I shouldn't have stolen the Liyue people's faith in you..."
"But I beg you, before you kill me, let me..."
Before Barbara could finish speaking, Zhongli leaned down slightly, reached out, and gently helped the terrified Barbara to her feet, comforting the frightened child.
"Don't be so pessimistic, Miss Barbara. What I just said wasn't to settle scores with you. Please get up, the ground is cold."
Barbara, who was helped up by Zhongli, stood there stunned. Had she heard correctly?
The Rock God not only didn't blame her for stealing faith, but even helped her up? That's incredibly magnanimous!
She stared blankly at Zhongli, and tentatively asked, "So... you don't mind that I stole the power of faith that the people of Liyue have in you? You... you don't intend to punish me?"
Zhongli gently shook her head, her eyes showing no trace of blame, and said sincerely and frankly:
“I really don’t mind. In fact, I also need to take some responsibility for Barbatos’ death.”
"If I hadn't agreed to Shao Yun's request to stabilize the situation in Liyue and thus stalled Dvalin, things might not have turned out this way."
“Now that you need the power of faith to resurrect Barbatos, I have an inescapable responsibility, both morally and logically, and I have no reason to ‘mind’ it.”