Teyvat Survival Guide

Chapter 138 Long time no see

...Miss Barbara, don't be nervous." Giuliana said softly to the blonde girl beside her, trying to make her relax, "I told you before that His Majesty has a very gentle personality and is not difficult to get along with."

Barbara clutched the hem of her skirt and lowered her head.

After a moment, she spoke with some self-blame:

“…I’m sorry, Sister Giuliana, I thought I could relax…

“But when I see His Holiness Saint Samuel, who is so gentle and exudes a noble and peaceful aura, I still can’t help but get nervous…

"I'm sorry..." She trailed off.

Seeing her like this, Giuliana didn't know what to say.

He just sighed slightly, turned his head and glanced at Samuel quietly, then continued:

"…Miss Barbara, you were chosen as the teacher to teach His Majesty by all the choir members.

"If you still can't overcome your nervousness, your Majesty's 'Ritual Hymn' class on Friday... will have to be taught by someone else."

After saying that, she turned and walked towards Samuel.

Barbara lowered her head, her mind full of thoughts.

Sister Giuliana was right. She was elected as His Majesty's teacher by all the choir members.

If she is always so nervous, it will definitely affect the teaching efficiency, and it is not impossible that she will be replaced...

…No, Barbara, you have to get over it.

We must not let everyone down.

…Barbara, go!

She encouraged herself and turned to walk towards Samuel.

“…I’m sorry, Your Majesty Saint Samuel, that you had to see me in such an embarrassing state.” Barbara said respectfully, pretending to be calm.

His Majesty looked at her for a while, as if he could see her hidden emotions, and said softly:

"Don't be nervous, just act as usual.

"Also, you can call me 'Samuel' if you don't mind."

Barbara paused.

Your Majesty even speaks so gently...

...Barbara, calm down and don't be nervous!

Take a deep breath, take a deep breath!

“…Okay, Your Majesty Samuel.” She said with a slightly blushing face, “Then let’s go to class.”

"The course I teach is 'Ceremony Hymns'. Today's arrangement is to let Your Majesty learn about church worship and music."

As she spoke, she took away the vases and other items on the table that had not been tidied up just now and placed them in the corner of the room.

Then, she arranged the candles, incense and other things, and turned to look at Samuel.

Obviously, "worship" is a very solemn and solemn thing. Even though Barbara's face was ruddy and she was a little nervous, her tone became serious:

“In the past, on the last Sunday of every month, the church would organize the followers of Lord Barbatos to go to the cathedral to worship.

"Everyone prayed devoutly to Lord Barbatos, thanks to him for protecting Mondstadt, and praised his greatness and selflessness, accompanied by the melodies of various instruments and the organ, and the singing of the wind and the choir.

"Unfortunately... because of the dragon and wolf disasters this year, the Knights and the Church have not been able to spare the time, so it has been delayed."

After saying that, she lit the incense, and the scent of flowers after the rain spread out.

The sacred melodies sung by the choir nuns could be heard faintly outside the room.

In this atmosphere, Barbara began to explain to Samuel the knowledge about sacrifice and worship.

Samuel felt that as His Holiness the Pope, he would be the one to conduct the subsequent "worships", so he listened patiently.

However, this patience did not last long as his attention was attracted by some movement outside the window.

Samuel blinked.

Is this an illusion? Why do I feel like there is someone outside the window?

Barbara, who was telling the story, and Gilliana, who was serving on the side, saw Samuel looking at the window and looked over curiously.

Then, a blond man was seen tentatively sticking half of his head out of the window and staring at the three people in the room.

Barbara: “……!”

Samuel: "..."

Blond man: “…?”

Giuliana was silent for a while, and then she spoke loudly with the good voice she had trained in the choir:

"God of the Wind... Guards, arrest that sneaky man outside!!"

After a moment, Samuel didn't have time to think about why Gilliana had just finished speaking when several fully armed and sturdy Knights of Favonius rushed out, and saw the blond man who was peeping outside the window had been carried in by them.

The man looked around in confusion, and then he saw the white-haired boy wearing a crown, whom he had not seen clearly from the windowsill and was blocked by Barbara.

"Your Majesty?!"

He immediately realized why he was arrested, and quickly knelt down and shouted:

"…Your Majesty! I, I have no intention of offending you!"

Samuel used the element of wind to probe him and found nothing unusual, so he waved his hand and asked the two Knights of Favonius who were holding him to let him go.

"What's your name? Why are you staying outside the window?" he asked gently as usual.

The blond man felt the wind that suddenly appeared around him gradually dissipate. Hearing this, he finally reacted and said quickly:

"My name is Albert, and I'm the leader of the Mondstadt Barbara fan club...

"Just wanted to check on Miss Barbara outside the window...absolutely no bad intentions!"

Samuel blinked.

Albert...

…Oh, that daily commission.

What is it called? I think it is...

"Mr. Albert, stop rushing—"

"Your Majesty, I can testify that Mr. Albert is not a bad person..." Barbara on the side tried to defend Albert.

Hearing her say this, the vigilant Giuliana finally felt relieved.

After confirming that there were no other questions, Samuel curiously asked Albert something about the "Barbara Fan Club" and let him go.

Although the class was interrupted, Barbara's nervousness seemed to ease a lot and the lecture went more smoothly.

When it was noon, she saw that it was almost time, so she agreed with Samuel to come back at two o'clock in the afternoon.

……

Mondstadt, the village of Veradu under the jurisdiction of Qingquan Town.

After learning about the knowledge of controlling elemental forces in Mondstadt, Bartada successfully passed the assessment, received an invitation from the Knights Templar, and has been confirmed to work at the headquarters.

This time he returned to the village to pack his luggage and then pick up his daughter Leah to go to Mondstadt together.

——He confirmed with the Knights that in addition to his accommodation, the headquarters would also provide accommodation for children.

Moreover, he had seen a child of the same age as Leah in the headquarters when he was studying. She was a very cute blonde girl who wore a little red hat and liked to carry a small leather bag.

Every time Batda saw her, her small backpack was bulging and looked like it was filled with a lot of things.

Girls of this age...their backpacks should contain some cute stuffed toys, right?

It just so happens that Leah likes it too, maybe the two of them can become good friends.

Making plans in his mind, Batta carried his luggage, held Leah's hand, and searched for Bolt's caravan in the village.

He had previously agreed with Bolt that he would take this caravan's carriage to Mond.

But in fact, this batch of goods can be shipped or not. After all, there is no particular shortage there now, and if it is sent there, it will be regarded as inventory.

So this train is essentially a special trip to take Batta.

After handing over his identity to the coachman, Barta couldn't help but sigh.

There were few merchants in the village originally, and even fewer after the wolf disaster.

The remaining few all valued Qingquan Town, which was closer and had lower travel and transportation costs. Villagers who wanted to go to Mondstadt had to first take a bus to Qingquan Town, and then change buses in Qingquan Town to find other caravans heading to Mondstadt.

The journey is long and the price is high, which means that many people in the village only know that Mondstadt is the capital of Mondstadt, but have never been there.

Later, Bolt's business grew, and then there were caravans that went directly to Mondstadt.

-By the way, Bolt is the businessman that Barta met during the wolf disaster and has a very good relationship with. They helped each other a lot in the months after the wolf disaster and they trusted each other very much.

After getting on the carriage, saying goodbye to the neighbors who came to see him and Leah off outside the window, and feeling the carriage start to move, Barta couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

...I still remember when we first met, Bolt kept saying things like "When we get to Qingquan Town, I will definitely..." and "As long as the wolf disaster is over, I will definitely..."

Unexpectedly, he actually fulfilled his promise and even did something bigger than before.

Batta smiled and shook his head, not recalling anything further.

Just as he turned his head and wanted to talk to his daughter, the carriage gradually stopped.

“…What’s going on?” He asked, leaning his head out of the car.

The driver of the carriage replied:

"It's a man who wants a ride, Mr. Butterda, do you think it's convenient?"

This trip was almost specifically for him, so it seemed reasonable for the driver to ask for his opinion.

After understanding this, Barta hesitated for a while and nodded:

"Let him come up, but Mora needs to be handed over."

He certainly wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity to make money, as this was collected on behalf of Bolt.

After all, you can't let strangers take the ride for free.

After hearing this, the driver talked to the man who was looking for a ride.

After a moment, the door of the carriage was opened.

After seeing who got on the car, Batda was stunned for a moment.

The other party greeted him with surprise and joy:

"Eh? Bartada? It's been a long time since we last met! How have you been lately?"

Hearing the other party's familiar and brisk tone, he finally came to his senses and responded:

"Yeah, it's been a while... Great Bard."

……

After Samuel and Giuliana had lunch, they didn't go far and found a bench in the hall inside the Basilica of St. Augustine and sat for a while.

Feeling the holy and peaceful atmosphere in the prayer hall and the flow of wind elemental force outside the window, the time agreed with Barbara soon arrived.

When I entered the room again, the red curtain had been drawn on the rehearsal stage, and Miss Barbara was already waiting at the door.

After the contact in the morning and a cooling-off period at noon, she was obviously no longer nervous and looked full of energy.

"Your Majesty, I told you some knowledge about rituals and worship this morning. After discussing with Sister Giuliana this afternoon, I decided to let you appreciate the church's music."

Barbara clapped her hands, and the red curtain in front of the stage opened.

The equipment behind the curtain was so complete that even Samuel, who had been Pope for nearly half a year but had actually never seen the world, was stunned.

…No, there are so many people.

Looks like there's a band, choir and music choir...

Barbara introduced him:

"Your Majesty, please enjoy the most traditional symphony of the West Wind Church.

"——Ode to the Wind."

After saying that, she cleared her throat and took the lead in humming a tune.

The band received instructions, and cheerful piano music began, accompanied by the alternation of hidden, unknown instruments.

It was as if in distant times, the people of Mond lived in a greenhouse.

After a while, the sound of an unknown instrument gradually replaced the cheerful piano, and Samuel recognized that it seemed to be the harp symbolizing freedom.

Later, instruments such as the French horn, cello, and flute joined in the performance, and together they formed a majestic and shocking melody.

As Samuel listened to the exciting melody, a term involuntarily emerged in his mind:

Fight.

Gradually, he began to immerse himself in the language of this music.

The melody plays as if telling a story of a struggle for freedom.

For a moment, the notes danced, and finally ended with a magnificent victory of temporary defeat and suppression of the enemy, leaving a blank.

But this blank did not last long. Soon, the instruments played a lively and bright melody, as if chasing the enemy with the help of the previous victory.

It was as if the darkness briefly disappeared, revealing bright blue skies and brilliant sunshine.

The victorious advance continued, but darkness seemed to be creeping in again, and the enemy surrounded us from all sides.

The rapid melody gave Samuel a nervous feeling.

…What’s going on? Didn’t we just win?

Could it be Durin...? Or the Dark Change?

His thoughts were unconsciously brought into the music.

The peaceful and tranquil melody echoes slowly, softly and steadily, making people fall into quiet contemplation.

He instantly realized who the melody represented.

Lord Barbatos...

Samuel was immersed in the music, and Barbara brought a chair for him to sit down.

The ups and downs of the music suddenly erupted like a volcano, and Samuel seemed to be about to see the bright dawn and glorious victory.

However, the darkness did not give in and still lingered.

What's going on? Why hasn't it been cleared up yet? Samuel instinctively asked in his heart.

Then he was stunned.

...Unconsciously, his emotions were drawn into it...

Just as he was sighing, suddenly, a soprano voice sang loudly:

"Ah...Friend, oppression and confinement have long been away from us——"

Samuel blinked.

Giuliana, when did you go on the platform?

"No need to worry about the imprisonment coming again, let us sing loudly."

"Let us sing loudly and join together in a chorus of praise for freedom!"

Samuel was stunned. He always knew that Giuliana had been in the choir before, but this was the first time he heard her voice when she sang.

I have to say, Giuliana's chanting is excellent.

An indescribable shudder seemed to burst out from the depths of Samuel's soul and then spread throughout his body.

Passionate praises and joyful sacred melodies came like a tide, drowning everything and breaking through everything!

"Freedom, freedom!"

"The God of Wind is holy and beautiful—"

"The wind of freedom blows across the land—"

The long-awaited choir sang passionately in unison, their voices filled with the ultimate, sacred, joy of freedom!

"The common people all sing the song of Feng Chang, praising the wind god loudly--"

"Give me faith, give me hope, the wind of freedom will last forever—"

"Lost lambs will never wander, and your grace will never be forgotten—"

"No fear of sorrow, no fear of death, the wind will lead me home -"

"Lost lamb, no longer wander, your grace will never be forgotten——"

"No fear of sorrow, no fear of death, the wind will lead me home -"

Samuel was shocked.

...indescribable shock...

This is Lord Barbatos in the minds of the people of Mondstadt.

The noble, holy, great and sublime...

——Lord Barbatos.