What bad intentions could the original dragon have?

At that time, Mond was a land covered with ice and snow, sparsely populated.

There are not many humans, let alone those powerful non-humans.

The weak non-humans cannot stay in Mond, and the strong ones disdain to even an inch of Mond.

After the establishment of the Seven Rulings of the Midgard, Barbatos, the God of Wind, blew away the ice and snow in Mondstadt, flattened the mountains, and stopped the warm winds.

This is how Mondstadt has its current suitable climate. Although the [God of Wind] Barbatos does not lead the people of Mondstadt, and although Mondstadt is a "country where the gods are absent", the "wind" is with the people.

However, this presents a problem.

Due to historical issues, the [Wind God] himself does not have any followers, and the only one still left in the mortal world seems to be the [East Wind Dragon].

Therefore, in this "country where God is absent", humans have to be self-reliant, which has resulted in the people of Mond being the strongest among the seven nations, and powerful people with extraordinary achievements often appear.

But Mond has no "inhumans", so Mond's average strength can be said to be at the bottom.

Mondstadt does not have the immortals of Liyue, the monsters of Inazuma, or the unscrupulous means of Winter Solstice.

Although immortals, monsters, etc. usually do not participate in fights between humans.

But its very existence is a deterrent.

It is like this when soldier fights soldier, general fights general, and king fights king.

To give an analogy, if Mondstadt and Liyue were to go to war, Morax would only need to hold Barbatos back for ten minutes.

Then Naga alone could destroy Mondstadt within ten minutes.

This is the unreasonableness when the 'general' faces the 'soldiers'.

Fortunately, although there are occasional frictions among the seven countries, there will not be a war to the death that would destroy a country.

After all, Teyvat is a continent ruled by gods. If a country is really destroyed, the gods of that country must also be destroyed.

Otherwise, no country would be able to withstand the guerrilla warfare of the Seven Earthly Rulers.

But even so, Mond is often bullied among the Seven Kingdoms.

Because this level of 'bullying' does not rise to the level of a 'king', and Mondstadt itself... does not have a 'general'.

"What's going on? The power of that little bastard Barbatos..." Zhong Ling looked at Ying who was protected by Barbatos, but was puzzled to find that Barbatos' power seemed to have become very weak.

Although he still retains the level of a 'Demon God', it is only the minimum level of a Demon God. The gap is too huge compared to when he retired from the position of 'Wind God' two thousand years ago.

"Could it be... 'wear and tear'?"

A.12 Kaia!

'Wear and tear' is a concept similar to aging for mortals in this world.

For the immortal beings, no matter whether it is the demon god or the elemental dragon, they cannot escape the wear and tear.

And 'wear and tear' brings pain.

Any existence will be 'worn out' and will also become the 'wear and tear' of others.

----

Guided by the mysterious voice, Ying imagined the wind as an arrow.

The strong wind elemental force turned into arrows, and countless green arrows attacked the "crystal" on the body of the [Wind Demon Dragon].

The voice told her that the reason why the Wind Dragon attacked Mond was because of the "poisonous blood crystal" on its body.

The 'Poisonous Blood Crystal' triggered the darkness in the heart of the Wind Demon Dragon, and expanded this darkness infinitely, leading it to violence and madness.

As long as those 'poisonous blood crystals' can be shattered, the [Wind Demon Dragon] will most likely be able to wake up again.

Although Ying didn't know where this mysterious voice came from, she had a rough guess.

Just as Paimon and Zhong Ling said, with Ying's current strength, even if there were ten of her added together, they would not be enough to defeat the Wind Dragon.

And now, with the blessing of this power, she can actually fight with Tevarin, so the identity of the opponent is actually very obvious.

This voice was exactly the reason why Ying came to Mondstadt, the [God of Wind] Barbatos.

In the sky, the blond stranger was fighting with the indigo dragon.

The dragon continuously released powerful gales, but when its wind was about to hit the strangers, the dirty wind would be blown away by another wind.

Suddenly, the dragon seemed to be unable to endure Ying's attack. It let out a roar, flapped its wings violently, and instantly created a distance of hundreds of meters between it and Ying. It continued to accelerate, and disappeared from Ying's sight within a few seconds.

"Tevalin... ran away." Paimon, who was holding Ying's waist tightly, found that Ying was no longer moving around randomly like before. He raised his head and saw Teevalin's figure going away. Paimon said excitedly.

"I just left." Although Ying no longer has the power she once had, she still has the vision that spans countless worlds.

Of course, she could see that the protection bestowed upon her by the being that seemed to be the God of Wind did not cause any substantial harm to Tevarin.

"Thank you, stranger." The voice of the Wind God came with the wind.

"Wait a minute!" Ying realized that the other party was about to leave and shouted. "Are you [God of Wind] Barbatos? I came to Mondstadt just to find you!"

'...'There was no longer any sound of the Wind God in the wind at high altitudes, only the whistling sound of the wind.

"Has [Wind God] left?" Paimon looked around but didn't see anything unusual.

"It doesn't matter." Ying sighed. "Since the trouble caused by Tevarin has not been resolved, the Wind God will definitely appear again. Next time, I must get some information from him."

Ying controlled the 'Wings of Wind' and landed slowly.

"Are you okay?" Amber ran over hurriedly and looked Ying up and down. She found that although there were some bruises on her body, she seemed to have no wounds.

"I'm fine." Ying smiled and nodded. "Where's Miss Zhong Ling?"

"I'm fine too. I just hid well." Zhong Ling came over from the other side of the square. "I didn't expect Ying to be so powerful."

Just when Ying was about to say something, the person with the 'Ice God's Eye' that was previously sensed by Zhong Ling walked towards this side.

He said as he clapped.

"You actually have the power to fight dragons. Are you our guest, or a new storm?"

But the strange thing was that although he was clearly speaking to Ying, his eyes fell on Zhong Ling.

"Kaia, you're here at the right time." Just when Zhong Ling was thinking about what kind of riddle she should say, Amber interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh? That's exactly right. Amber, wouldn't you like to introduce your new friend to me?" Kaia raised his eyebrows and said.

"I almost forgot." Amber coughed lightly to cover up her embarrassment. "Kaeya, this is Miss Ying, the bodyguard of Miss Zhong Ling, who is a poet and painter from Liyue. This little guy is Paimon, raised by Miss Zhong Ling, a very wonderful elemental creation."

"Ms. Zhong Ling, Miss Ying, little Paimon, this is Kaia, our [Cavalry Captain]."

"Hello, Mr. Kaia." Since Amber had already said it for him, Zhong Ling didn't say anything extra.

"So you are a guest from Liyue. Welcome, even though it is at an inappropriate time." There was no sincerity in Kaeya's welcome.

However, Zhong Ling didn't care about these things.

"No, in my opinion, now is the best time." Zhong Ling put his hands in his sleeves and narrowed his eyes slightly. "My family's guards have been separated from their relatives. I hope to use the power of the Wind God to find their relatives."

"If it weren't for the arrival of the Wind Demon Dragon, Xiaoying would not have been able to see it, considering the temperament of Mondstadt's God of Freedom."

Although she didn't know why, Zhong Ling seemed to inexplicably dislike this little kid named Kaia.

"Haha, Miss Zhong Ling is right." Kaiya nodded in agreement. "However, our God may hope that his people can survive this disaster with their own strength instead of praying for the protection of the God. What do you think, Miss Zhong Ling?"

"Well, I'm not sure about that." Zhong Ling frowned in distress. "Our Liyue's Lord Yan is always able to seek welfare for the vast majority of living beings, so I'm not sure what a kingdom without gods would be like."

"hehe."

"hehe."

"Um... Traveler, why do I feel like Miss Zhong Ling doesn't like this guy named Kaeya?" Paimon leaned close to Ying's ear and whispered.

"I don't know either." Ying chose to keep silent.

"Anyway, let me first thank Miss Ying on behalf of the Knights." Kaia looked at Ying and said.

"You're welcome. Any gift of thanks?" Ying said bluntly.

"Haha, Miss Ying is really quick to speak. Hmm...how about fried meat with carrots and honey sauce? That's the specialty of the Deer Hunter Restaurant." Kaiya didn't expect Ying to speak so directly, but he reacted quickly.

"That's my thank you gift." Before Ying could say anything, Amber on the side stopped Kaia from using 'Fried Pork with Honey Sauce and Carrots' as a thank you gift.

"Hmm, that's a bit of a headache." Kaiya touched his chin in distress. "I can't think of a good thank you gift for now. After all, Miss Ying's fight against the Wind Dragon just now was witnessed by everyone, and ordinary thank you gifts are really not good enough."

"It just so happens that our [Acting Captain] wants to invite you to the Knights' headquarters for a chat. I think the [Acting Captain] will give Miss Ying a satisfactory thank-you gift."

I couldn't think of a good thank-you gift, so I passed the ball to the [Acting Group Leader].

A.13 Six instruments of Yuanjun, Part

After talking with [Acting Leader] Jean Gunnhild and [Librarian] Lisa Mintz and deciding on the next course of action, they left the Knights' headquarters.

Ying was rewarded by the Knights for fighting against the Wind Dragon and driving it away.

Two hundred thousand Moras and a [Standard Longsword of the Knights of Favonius].

Two hundred thousand Mora may sound like a lot, but it is still cheap compared to fighting a dragon.

The real big deal is the [Sword of West Wind]. Although it is a standard sword, its material is not bad. It is light and sharp, and can easily derive elemental power.

Very suitable for Fluorescent who can use the wind element.

As for Zhong Ling, he was rewarded with 50,000 Mora for helping to clear out the Hillilfer camp.

Well...not even as much as a quarter of the price of a talisman from Zhong Ling.

"It seems that we have to stay in Mond for a while." After walking out of the Knights' headquarters, Zhong Ling stopped and looked at the sky which had already darkened completely.

"I'm so hungry that I can hardly walk." Ying touched her stomach which was almost sticking to her back.

"Paimon too, Paimon too!" Paimon raised his little hand to show that he was hungry too.

"Well, let's finish our meal first." Taking his eyes off the sky, Zhong Ling nodded at Ying.

"Wait a minute!" Just as they were about to leave, Amber hurried out.

"Huh? What's wrong with Miss Amber?" Zhong Ling asked Amber who was hurriedly chasing after them.

"Didn't I tell you before that I would treat you to a meal? I didn't expect to encounter so many problems. But it's not too late now, right?" Amber said to the three of them with a smile.

"Amber is so enthusiastic." Paimon stomped on the air happily. "I want to eat the 'Fried Carrots with Honey Sauce'."

"No problem." Amber nodded.

"Then let's go to the 'Deer Hunter Restaurant' that Miss Amber mentioned. After dinner, we'll need Miss Amber's help to find the hotel." After all, since we've just arrived, it's good to have a local to help us.

"No problem at all." Amber would feel very uncomfortable if she was rejected.

After all, owing favors to others is a very uncomfortable thing.

----

"Wow... Is this the 'Grilled Pork and Carrots with Honey Sauce'?" Paimon swallowed hard in front of the large plate of meat dish floating on the dining table.

The sheen of the honey sauce made Paimon unable to look away, and the neatly cut pieces of meat were pleasing to the eye.

The slightly sweet honey aroma emitted by the honey sauce is mouth-watering.

"Paimon..." Ying gently pulled Paimon's collar. "This, isn't it a saliva bag?"

"Traveler! You are so rude!" Paimon stamped his feet angrily. "No matter what, I won't drool, right?"

"Little Paimeng, don't move." Zhong Ling's voice made Paimeng's whole body seem to be paused, motionless.

Then, Zhong Ling covered her hand with a handkerchief with a faint fragrance and gently wiped the corners of Paimeng's mouth.

"All right."

"Pfft..." Seeing that Paimon had just said that he would not drool, and then Zhong Ling wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief, the more he looked at it, the more he wanted to laugh.

"Miss Zhong Ling..." Paimon shouted weakly.

"Everyone, stop talking. If it gets cold, it won't taste as good." Amber said when she saw that no one was about to eat.

"Slurp..." Paimon made a thin slurping sound, then grabbed the fork in front of him with his little hand and rolled up a large piece of meat covered with honey sauce. Although his mouth looked very small, he stuffed the whole mouthful of fried meat into it in one gulp.

Paimon's cheeks looked a bit chubby, and now they looked even rounder, making Zhong Ling want to rub them.

The young Ganyu also had a face like this back then, with a very nice touch. Unfortunately, Ganyu later became determined to lose weight. No matter how she advised, Ganyu would not listen, and eventually became the tender and beautiful face she is now.