aircannonsinc Chapter 229 Welcome
Chapter 229 Welcome
A bright moon hung among the bustling sky lanterns, and it still looked very bright, but by the middle of midnight, all the sky lanterns lit in Liyue should be enough to cover the moonlight.
Mo Ran looked up and said, "It's almost time, let's go back."
"Yes." Although hundreds of years had passed since the war, Xiao still retained his obedience to the orders given by the commander-in-chief, Marshal Tai.
"Let's go, brother. Let's go back." Ying pulled her brother's arm, with a different tenderness from a few months ago.
Kong sighed helplessly. It seemed that his sister had begun to return to her previous state after their reunion. However, did this mean that the "knot in her heart" beneath the abyss had finally untied a little?
The four of them walked straight in to the most upscale box at Xinyuexuan because the door was broken.
Paimon spotted them immediately, floated over to them with a long voice, and complained: "Finally you guys finished your whispers, didn't you say you would be back soon, humph!"
Sora smiled apologetically, but Ying put her hands on her hips and said, "It was super fast. Paimon's concept of time is wrong."
"You, you actually said that to me!" Paimeng glared at her, but he didn't look fierce at all. He stomped the air several times and said angrily, "Then I will not only let you know what it means to have a wrong concept of time, but also what it means to have a wrong concept of food intake!"
"Ying's snacks are mine!"
"Take it!" Ying smiled, not caring at all. She just needed to eat her brother's snacks, or she didn't have to eat them. She had survived the darkness in the abyss. Besides the one in the sky, there were other scary things.
Xiao said calmly, "Sorry, I kept you waiting."
Mo Ran also walked over and said with a smile: "I'll trouble Paimeng to take care of my share as well."
"That's better!" Paimeng looked back and saw a man in black standing by the window. The yellow-haired girl and Xiao were standing in front of Master Hu. Only Kong touched her head and then walked over.
Paimeng stomped on the air again, and slowly floated over with resentment.
Hu Tao waved her hands and said, "It's okay. It's just idle chat. There's nothing serious to do. You guys chat outside and we chat inside. It's the same thing."
"Master Hu is still very tolerant. Paimeng should learn from him!" Ying said youyou.
"Hmph, I'm busy eating, so I'm not paying attention to you." Paimon turned to the dining table alone and swept away all the snacks on the table. In an instant, both salty and sweet food entered his mouth.
Hu Tao was surrounded by people. She crossed her arms and said, "Although we are all acquaintances, we still need to have some sense of ceremony when having a holiday dinner."
Wendy said in a supportive tone, "Is there any custom?"
Walnut turned around, leaving only her back to everyone, looking a little mysterious, and then she said, "No."
Upon hearing this, except for the calm Xiao, Zhongli who was standing by the wall doing nothing, and Mo Ran who was looking out the window, everyone else felt their feet slip and almost fell.
"But I made one just to get a good start." Hu Tao pointed to the square copper incense burner with gold inlays on the wall and said, "It's better to use the same object than to choose the same object. No, we can't use the same object. Let's use the incense burner on the table."
"It has been burning for so long, the spices inside are almost burnt out, so let the most distinguished guest here light the incense for everyone."
"It means endless life. I wish you a prosperous new year with every passing day!"
Wendy clapped again and praised, "So that's how it is. What a good image, Master Hu!"
After saying this, his eyes sparkled, and he pointed at the idler by the wall and said, "Then speaking of this distinguished guest, it must be the guest official Zhongli!"
"I don't know much about Ke Qing's stories and deeds, but after talking to him just now, his knowledge and insights have opened my eyes even for a bard who has traveled all over the world."
"If knowledge can be considered power, then Mr. Keqing must be the most powerful man in the world!"
"In terms of the level of rhetoric and grammar, the great poet is indeed better." Zhongli turned his head slightly and said, "I just have a better memory. If this ordinary ability can be described as so wonderful, your eloquence is more convincing."
"Well, since everyone can nominate candidates, I think the hall master should continue the incense."
Hu Tao shook her head and said, "Oh, no, you are just a subordinate flattering his superior! I already said that we should invite distinguished guests. How can I, the host, participate? Since we have a table full of delicious food, why not let Mr. Mo Ran, who is known as the God of Cooking, come?"
Mo Ran tilted his head and said calmly, "A new year should bring a new look. I am already a cooking god in the eyes of the older generation. Compared to me, Xiangling must be a more suitable candidate."
The eyes of the people around immediately returned to Xiangling. Hu Tao pulled her to report one title after another, while Mo Ran was still looking out the window, feeling uneasy.
In essence, Liyue is the place where he has stayed the longest, and his interactions with this place are far more than with other places. The more this is the case, the more reluctant he is to leave.
But the flow of time will never stop. Even if you have a powerful force that can stop time, you still cannot stop the future, because people always have to run out of energy, but time seems endless and it is impossible to get tired.
As Mo Ran was sighing, the matter of choosing the person to light the incense seemed to be coming to an end. Everyone applauded warmly, pushing Paimeng to the incense burner.
Seeing that the situation was almost ready, Mo Ran walked to the wall decoration with the three characters "Xin Yue Xuan" on it, grabbed the character "moon" in the middle with one hand, and slowly turned it.
A series of mechanical sounds were heard one after another, and the roof began to flip, revealing a number of glass crystals that reflected the frosty moonlight.
Just like these two stores, Liuli is Liuli Pavilion and Moonlight is Xinyuexuan, and they are inseparable.
At the moment the incense was lit, the mechanism had just moved. Everyone was very curious about the roof that could change freely.
The lines of large characters in the center of the room were specially written to celebrate the arrival of the Sea Lantern Festival. They have different meanings from the usual moonlight and glass reflections.
The bright sky rises over the country, and Liyue shares in the joy.
I hope the wanderers will return home soon, so that every house will be full.
All good things must come to an end, but life is full of opportunities and challenges.
…………
After that, everyone talked heart to heart and drank tea leisurely until midnight. When they were full and satisfied, the banquet was over and it was time to say goodbye.
Mo Ran first went to the kitchen to cook some dishes, put them in lunch boxes, and when he brought them to the door, most people had already left.
However, there were six people left. The God of Wind and the God of Rock were still standing there, and there was one more person who was not there originally, Ying, who now had his eyes slightly closed.
Paimeng looked at the handsome boy and asked, "What are you going to do next, Xiao? How about we accompany you to visit Liyue Harbor?"
Xiao shook his head and refused, "No need. This time I have stayed longer than I expected. Although the lights in the city are beautiful, I should go back."
"Don't say that all the time. If you feel like it, you can stay a little longer. No one will chase you away." Mo Ran carried a six-layer lunch box and said, "I'll take it to the other generals later. I haven't cooked for a while, so I'll cook for you."
"Yes, Brother Mo Ran." Xiao took the lunch box with both hands, his nose moved slightly, and he sniffed out the food inside. He looked at the man in black clothes and smiled slightly, "Brother Mo Ran, I'll leave first."
"Emperor, I'm leaving now." Xiao then said goodbye to the Emperor, turned to look at the two travelers, and said, "Then, see you next time."
Xiao's figure disappeared in the moonlight, and the breeze caused by the two wind wheels also disappeared without a trace. This Yaksha general, who was not good at speaking but was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, had always been like this.
"Then let's go back too?" Paimon looked at the blond boy and asked.
Kong nodded, took his sister and said goodbye to a few others, then walked leisurely on the streets of Liyue Harbor.
The three people left on the spot looked at each other, and then their figures flashed, either turning into a wisp of breeze, or a ray of rock elemental light, or as fast as lightning, their speed was almost like teleportation.
On Tianheng Mountain, after the purple lightning flashed, a man in black stood there. Then, a breeze fell beside him and he said with a smile, "Mr. Morax, I got here first!"
A handsome young man walked out of the rock light that was a moment slower than the breeze. He said slowly, "I'll wait on the side."
"Got it. Go ahead." The young man in green drove away the young man in black and gold robe, then looked at the man in black with a playful look in his eyes and said, "Are you talking about our first meeting, or our first meeting for you?"
"Deputy Knight Commander, Mr. Mo Ran?"
As early as when he saw him just now, he had already recognized this man in black. He was very powerful and no different from old man Morax. But two years ago, this man's strength was obviously very weak.
"There is no difference between these two answers, and I am no longer a member of the Knights." Mo Ran said calmly: "God of Wind, Lord Barbatos!"
Barbatos smiled and said, "Only after you pray to me can you buy on credit and move around freely in Mondstadt. Tell me, is this enough for you to be generous once? Just once, just once!"
"If I wanted to help you, I wouldn't have waited until now." Mo Ran put his hands together and continued, "I tried my best to straighten out the twisted Mondstadt, so that more residents know how to rely on themselves instead of bothering the Knights. Isn't that enough?"
"Besides, Lord Wind God, you didn't show up during the invasion of the Abyss. If it weren't for the Knights' perseverance despite casualties, and the help of the East Wind Dragon Tevarin, Mondstadt would have been destroyed long ago!"
"Ahem, well, actually I could have taken action at that time, but as far as freedom is concerned, if I acted rashly, it wouldn't be what they wanted, true freedom!"
"With the word true freedom, can you throw your life behind you?" Mo Ran smiled, and then said: "But their so-called true freedom is still defined by God..."
"Forget it. I'm not from Mondstadt either. I don't understand their thinking. It's just like how they think that the people of Liyue are restraining themselves by abiding by the contract. Haha."
Barbatos curled his lips and said, "Why do I feel that your laughter is unusual? A bit sarcastic, a bit relieved, and a little... gloating?"
"As for the details, please guess it yourself, Lord Wind God. It's getting late now, how about letting the Emperor send you back?" Mo Ran said with a gentle smile.
Barbatos waved his hand and said, "Forget it, forget it. I can go back by myself. I think Mr. Morax has something else to talk to you about. I won't bother him anymore!"
"Hey, old man, next time we meet, please buy me a drink!" Barbatos flew high into the sky, waved towards Tianheng Mountain, and then left quickly.
Morax sighed softly, walked over to the man in black, and asked, "Are you leaving soon?"
"Well, it won't be long." Mo Ran looked at the bright moon that was slowly climbing upwards, hoping that it would go slower, even slower, so that he could at least take one more look at the person he was about to say goodbye to.
"Goodbye, old friend." Morax said with a hint of reluctance, "I look forward to meeting you again."
Although he didn't know why Mo Ran left suddenly, or whether he had to leave, it didn't matter. He would wait for him, and they would all wait for him until they were reunited.
"Okay." Mo Ran smiled happily, and suddenly took out two round and smooth jade stones, saying, "Happy birthday, Zhongli!"
Morax was stunned. After taking the jade, he smiled knowingly and said, "Thank you. This is a good gift. I like it very much."