Chapter 882: Barbara, a Fanatic
In the Temple of a Thousand Winds, the God of Wind did not accept the peace talks proposed by Alechino, the God of Ice.
After the failure, Arlecino immediately sent Tartaglia back to Solstice to inform the Fatui commander "Pierro" and the Queen of Solstice and report the results of the negotiations.
At the same time, she also went to see His Royal Highness the Prince of the Abyss Cult, "Kong", and told him the news.
Although the negotiations failed, she couldn't just report the good news without reporting the bad news, she had to explain the situation to Kong honestly.
So, she set out on the road to the Abyss Cult camp.
When Alecino arrived at the camp, Kong was sitting by the campfire, quietly admiring the snowy scenery of Mondstadt under the sunny sky.
The sun is shining, the sky is as blue as a gem, without a single cloud blocking the view. Such good weather makes people feel happy.
Even Kong, who was filled with hatred and resentment, was touched by the beautiful scenery and felt a little better.
However, this good mood was only a little bit better, as tiny as a fingernail.
At this moment, Sora saw Arlecino returning empty-handed.
His eyes fell on her, and seeing that she really came with two empty paws, his expression suddenly became gloomy.
"From the looks of you, did Feng Shen not listen to my advice?" Kong's voice was cold, with obvious dissatisfaction and disappointment.
Arlecino nodded slightly, confirming Sora's guess.
However, she did not tell Kong that the Wind God wanted to kill Shao Yun.
She knew that if Kong were to learn of this, he would immediately order the members of the Abyss Cult to massacre Mondstadt.
The blood of the Mondstadt people is used to make Liyue’s famous dish “Maoxuewang”.
"I will report all this to Zhidong truthfully. Perhaps, Harlequin will come to persuade us personally and give us some more time..."
Alechino tried her best to persuade him, and her voice rarely revealed anxiety.
After all, now, Mond's life and death, to a certain extent, are in his own hands.
"Maybe it's because I am 'insignificant', but I can still communicate with the Wind God. I ..."
Before Alecino could finish her words, she was rudely interrupted by Sora.
Kong was in a very bad mood and he couldn't stand this endless negotiation and delay.
Either you, the Wind God, release my sister, niece, and my niece Paimon immediately, or you, the Wind God, stop talking nonsense to me!
Kong's aura suddenly became fierce, his brows were raised, and he vented all his dissatisfaction and anger.
"I've had enough of this time-wasting behavior! Since your method doesn't work at all, I can only continue to use my own method..."
Alechino could feel Sora's anger rising.
She tried to calm Sora down, saying, "Calm down! Please calm down first!"
However, Sora simply couldn't hear what Arlecino said.
He stood up suddenly, pointed his finger straight at Alechino's nose, and cursed angrily: "How can I stay calm? You said that the Wind God rejected your proposal, so why am I wasting my time here!"
Then he opened his throat and shouted loudly: "Frostfall!"
The Apostle of the Abyss, Frostfall, ran over in a panic, then knelt on one knee with a plop.
Its right hand was pressed tightly against its chest, while its left hand was desperately hiding another object behind its back, for fear that it would be discovered by Kong.
It is worth mentioning that what Abyss Apostle Shuangluo hid behind his back was a handbook for "employees" of the Abyss Cult compiled by Yuanshang...
It seems that everyone has started to study seriously under Yuanshang's teaching, to repay the prince's kindness!
The Abyss Apostle Frostfall was kneeling on one knee, and his mind was constantly recalling the knowledge in the employee manual compiled by Zhao Yuanshang hidden behind him.
The manual detailed that when His Royal Highness was angry, he had to speak in a very respectful and submissive tone, and he must not use that kind of frivolous, approachable tone, otherwise he would definitely be angered...
"What can I do for you, Your Highness?" The Apostle of the Abyss, Frostfall, asked humbly with his head lowered.
However, Kong's mind at this moment was not at all on the things that the Apostle of the Abyss, Frostfall, had hidden behind him. He excitedly shook his outstretched index finger, pointing at the sky, as if to say, "Go and kill the law of nature for me."
"Right now! Immediately! Let a blizzard blow across Mondstadt, and make it more powerful than before! Much stronger!"
"Let the snow cover Mondstadt! I want to let that bastard Wind God know that my patience has its limits!"
The Abyss Apostle Frostfall had no objection to the orders of His Royal Highness the Prince, because to them, the words of His Royal Highness the Prince were like an imperial decree that must be executed unconditionally. This was the meaning of their existence!
"Yes, Your Highness!" he responded without hesitation.
Then, the Abyss Apostle Frostfall quickly conveyed the Prince's orders to all the Ice Abyss Mages and other Abyss Apostles of the same race through the Abyss' communication lines.
"Everyone has heard the order from His Royal Highness the Prince, everyone, move out and bury Mond completely with the wind and snow!"
His voice echoed in the communication line, and then all members of the Abyss Cult immediately burst into a fierce response within the line.
"Fuck! Weeds!"
"Shit, Barbatos!"
……
Alechino saw that Kong was about to follow Shao Yun's example and go to extremes. However, she had just witnessed Wendy going crazy, so she was not surprised by Kong's decision at this moment.
However, Alechino did not think that there would be much meaning, or benefit, in harming Mond now.
She felt that instead of doing this, it would be better to continue to show goodwill in exchange for greater negotiating space.
So she quickly shouted, "Wait a minute, calm down! Give me a little more time, I'll let the clown persuade him, how about that?"
After hearing what Alechino said, Sora first pointed at her nose, then at himself, and said in surprise and madness:
"Calm down? You want me to calm down? It's not your sister who was kidnapped! Of course you're not worried!"
Arlecino tried her best to appear calm while looking at the frantic Sora.
It's no wonder Shao Yun often gets mad. If it were me, I would go crazy too. I can empathize with him...
Although she was a little upset, she tried to keep her voice calm and said, "I'm here to help you, so please calm down first."
After hearing this, Kong regained some control over his emotions.
But his tone was filled with reluctance and madness, and he said: "I advise you not to waste your time in Mondstadt..."
……
At this moment, the scene in Mondstadt was completely different from Sora's state of mind.
Taking advantage of the lull in the snowstorm, the Knights of Favonius took quick action, busy and orderly dealing with the snow piled on the streets and houses.
People from the Adventurers' Association also lent a hand and participated in the cleanup work.
Everyone was happy that the snowstorm had stopped and they thought the situation would gradually improve.
Seeing that the wind and snow had stopped, Barbara finally regained some of her spirits.
Taking advantage of a lull in the snowstorm, Barbara stood in front of the ruins of the West Wind Cathedral in Mondstadt and told people that this was the result of the appearance of the Wind God and that it was the Wind God who saved Mondstadt.
The soft and fluffy fur cape draped over her shoulders like a cloud, adding a bit of warmth and cuteness to her.
Barbara was wrapped tightly in a winter nun's uniform, leaving only her delicate face exposed.
She wore a white fur hat (bearskin hat?) with some snowflakes that had not yet melted on it, making her look like a winter elf.
"Residents of Mondstadt, it was the Wind God who stopped the snowstorm. It was the Wind God's blessing that kept us safe and saved Mondstadt!"
"Just like when the Lord Wind God overthrew the Lone King of the Tower and protected Mondstadt for nearly a thousand years, we will also overcome this time."
Barbara stood in front of the ruins of West Wind Cathedral, launching her propaganda campaign with all her might.
Her voice was filled with passion as she proclaimed the greatness of Barbatos and firmly upheld the faith of the god of wind.
However, in stark contrast to her hard work in promoting the site were the destroyed ruins of West Wind Cathedral behind her.
This ruin was once the spiritual symbol of Mondstadt, but now only broken walls remain, looking particularly desolate under the cover of snow.
Barbara's lonely and hard-working figure seemed particularly out of place in front of the ruins.
No nun or monk from the West Wind Church followed Barbara in preaching; she was the only one who performed a solo.
Those nuns and monks of the West Wind Church might be shoveling snow, or they might think that it is ridiculous to promote the God of Wind now?
The citizens of Mondstadt who were standing in front of the West Wind Cathedral Square witnessed this scene and felt doubtful.
Is a god who can't even protect his own place really worthy of their faith?
Abandoning Mond, who he was protecting, to save Natta, who was thousands of miles away, is this something a normal god could do?
Mondstadt has been ravaged by blizzards for more than a month, almost two months. Now, the rain has stopped and the sky is clearing up. If this is really the work of Lord Wind God, then why doesn't he come and explain it in person?
At this moment, not far away, Kaia was secretly observing Barbara as she preached her faith.
He saw Barbara's full devotion, then he turned to look at Rosalia who was absent-mindedly standing aside, and asked softly:
"Miss Rosalia, is Miss Barbara still the same?"
Rosaria was fiddling with an old dagger in her hand, and seemed a little absent-minded to Kaia's question. She answered nonchalantly:
"Well, don't you have eyes? You are still the same. Immersed in the maintenance of the faith of the God of Wind."
After saying that, she put away the dagger and suddenly changed the subject, talking about her views on the sudden end of the snowstorm.
"But if the cessation of the snowstorm is really related to the God of Wind, that would be great...it proves that we have really overcome the difficulties."
Then she changed the subject and said seriously, "I'm afraid this is just the calm before the storm..."