Chapter 53: Ying and Paimon
"Barbara, do you think the people of Mondstadt will resent the Anemo Archon for not appearing to protect them and eliminate the monsters?" Aiden asked, looking up at the great tree in Windrise.
"No, I don't think so!" Barbara shook her head firmly.
"Lord Barbatos granted us a nation where freedom reigns, where no one is bound by a ruler! Over the years, he has rarely shown himself, but whenever he has, it was to resolve crises beyond our power. He has never asked anything of us. So how could we, as the people of Mondstadt, resent him just because he has not appeared at this moment?"
She turned to Aiden, worry in her eyes. "Besides, I truly believe Lord Barbatos is watching over us. If he hasn't appeared, something must have happened to him! Otherwise, the leylines of Mondstadt wouldn't be in such disorder. My sister once told me that the Stormterror was once the Dragon of the East Wind. If Lord Barbatos is in trouble, wouldn't that explain why Stormterror is acting so violently?"
Aiden listened in silence, looking up at the sky. What Barbara said made sense. If he didn't already know the truth, he might have believed her reasoning.
---
[Wendy: "..."]
[Jean: "..."]
[Diluc: "..."]
[Ningguang: "Don't worry, you three. This is just Barbara's speculation. You have to trust that Lord Barbatos is fine."]
[Zhongli: "From what I know of him, he isn't one to easily fall into trouble."]
[Aiden: "At this point, I don't even know how to explain this to Barbara. If I didn't know the truth, I'd probably believe her as well.
It's remarkable how a devoted believer will always find ways to justify their god's actions."]
[Keqing: "I still disapprove of Mondstadt's lax approach to governance. The same job takes Mondstadt citizens three times longer than it does for us in Liyue.
However, I can understand their Archon's way of ruling. Human-led nations have their flaws, but it seems he still watches over everything in his own way.
That being said, if Rex Lapis had allowed Liyue to be ruled purely by humans from the start, I suspect that within a hundred years, we'd have families as corrupt as the Lawrences."]
[Ningguang: "Keqing, you're maturing!"]
[Keqing: "Hmph, I'm just acknowledging reality. I had hoped all the Qixing loved Liyue as much as I do."]
[Aiden: "Honestly, we don't need to keep condemning the Lawrence clan repeatedly.
If you're interested, you should investigate Inazuma's past. Look into the Tenryou Commission and the corrupt officials who manipulated the system for their own gain.
And then there's Sumeru—where the sages of the Akademiya outright imprisoned the Dendro Archon…"]
[Keqing: "Is it really possible to imprison a god? Even a weaker one is still a god, right?"]
[Aiden: "It's more like emotional manipulation. Imagine a young god, newly born, surrounded by people who constantly tell them they are unworthy and need to learn how to be a proper deity. A kindhearted god would start doubting themselves over time."]
[Keqing: "The people of Sumeru are truly disgraceful! But can a god really be humiliated in such a way?"]
[Aiden: "..."]
[Ningguang: "..."]
[Madame Ping: "..."]
---
Aiden chuckled at the conversation in the chat. Everyone knew that, despite her outward criticisms, Keqing had a deep respect for Morax. She thought she hid it well, but in reality, it was obvious to everyone.
Still, now was not the time to dwell on that. He needed to respond to Barbara.
After a brief pause, he said, "From what I understand, five hundred years ago, a catastrophe shook the world. Aside from the Dendro Archon, every member of the Seven was involved in the war.
You can imagine how intense a battle must be if even gods had to take part in it. The enemies they faced must have been beyond mortal comprehension.
When Barbatos returned to Mondstadt, he was already weakened. He needed Dvalin's help to fight the corrupted Durin. I suspect he has been in slumber ever since."
Barbara let out a breath of relief but still looked concerned. "I hope Lord Barbatos is alright…"
"Maybe he's just sleeping somewhere," Aiden said with a grin. "Or maybe he's already awake, disguised as a drunkard, quietly watching over Mondstadt in his own way."
Barbara's face turned slightly sour. "Aiden, how could you say that about Lord Barbatos?! If the believers heard you, they would surely scold you for slandering him!"
Aiden smirked. "Barbara, I once told you—your eyes can deceive you. Think about it, who was the one who introduced wine to Mondstadt?"
Barbara blinked in confusion before realization dawned on her. "Wait… the legend says that wine was first created by Lord Barbatos himself…"
"Exactly. Why would he create wine if he didn't like drinking it?"
Barbara fell deep into thought. Could it be that the way they worshipped Barbatos had been wrong all along? Maybe, next time, they should offer dandelion wine instead?
As they continued toward Starfell Lake, Aiden suddenly felt a surge of pure Anemo energy. A familiar presence.
A knowing smile played at the corner of his lips. "So, they're here after all."
Alongside that Anemo energy, there was another presence—one that felt strangely close and familiar to him.
Paimon.
It seemed more and more likely that Paimon came from Celestia and was connected to the four shades.
Now that Phanes was gone, Paimon had likely inherited some part of their power. That would explain why he felt such an odd kinship with her.
Aiden chuckled to himself. He was looking forward to this encounter.
By Starfell Lake, Paimon was staring toward Mondstadt, lost in thought.
"Paimon, is something wrong?" Lumine asked.
Paimon snapped out of her daze, scratching her head guiltily. "I just zoned out for a second!"
She quickly changed the subject. "Traveler, now that you've obtained Anemo powers, why don't we test them out?"