Reading poems from Teyvat

Shen Zhigui just asked.

Seba was silent for a moment, and then her eyes swept over Shen Zhigui's body, and finally stopped at the sword behind him. She said, "Come to think of it, Your Excellency, have you ever thought that I might have committed some heinous crime and was exiled to Aru Village? Your Excellency encouraged us to run to other places or even other countries, but have you ever thought that we might cause greater disasters if we go to other places?"

"Then I doubt the intention of the House of Lords in banishing you to the desert."

"What do you mean?"

Seba asked.

"What I mean is, if you are really such vicious criminals, then the Council of the Order exiled you to the desert in order to let you use the knowledge you learned in the Council of the Order to create more disasters in the desert, thereby completely destroying those who do not obey the Council of the Order. They may even secretly support you to continue researching your original topic, rather than letting you fend for yourself here."

Shen Zhigui said absentmindedly.

He did not lower his voice or behave in a restrained manner when he said this. He was just communicating normally with Seba. However, "outsiders" like him and Seba were already quite concerning. His words were tantamount to shouting in other people's ears that the Ministry of Education sent these people to Aru Village with ulterior motives. Therefore, the Desert People, who had originally leaned towards the Gilded Brigade, looked at these two people with malicious eyes.

Seba couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Sir, your words will make my situation even more difficult in the future."

"If you can't find a suitable position in this environment, then it proves that you are not suitable to stay in this environment. After all, this is not the destination for people like you. In this case, why do you want to stay?"

Shen Zhigui just waved his hand casually, and then rushed towards Candice's residence without looking back. Seba, who stayed where she was, saw other people's gazes, so she had to close the door immediately to block out those people's gazes.

Chapter 97: What is life like everywhere (Part 2)

However, it is hard to say whether Shen Zhigui was so complicated because he really thought so, or whether it was simply because Seba's name was too similar to the spoofed translation of "Saber" in his memory, which made him a little interested in this person.

Of course, Shen Zhigui also knew that most of the scholars exiled by the Order were actually "mad scholars" and might not be able to stay sober all day like Seba. The reason why they became crazy was purely because they came into contact with the knowledge of the realm of gods inside the World Tree. As human beings, they could not understand this knowledge, so after going crazy, they were exiled to Aru Village by the Order. Although it was said that the little auspicious grass king could use them to control the natural disasters near Aru Village, Shen Zhigui did not think that this was the original intention of the Order to exile them here.

Although Shen Zhigui actually didn't know how far the Ministry of Education's god-making plan had progressed, he could at least trick the Ministry of Education by letting them run away before they tried to use these crazy scholars to make god-canned knowledge.

But Shen Zhigui actually had no doubt that the Ministry of Education would not be able to produce divine canned knowledge without these people.

But it's better to cause them trouble than not to.

Shen Zhigui just thought so, and followed the direction pointed by Seba, walked to Candice's house, knocked on the door, and saw a short-haired adult woman standing there after the door opened. She had short dark blue hair and was dressed quite boldly. It was not known whether she was an outlier or a typical person among the desert people. But what attracted people's attention most was not her dress, nor her wheat-colored skin that matched her appearance very well, but her eyes that were amber on one side and sky blue on the other. She looked Shen Zhigui up and down with her heterochromatic eyes for a long time, and finally said, "Shen Zhigui?"

Shen Zhigui couldn't help but feel a little strange:

He shouldn't be that famous, right?

As if she could see what Shen Zhigui was thinking, Candice said, "Someone mentioned you to me."

"Yura?"

Shen Zhigui asked.

"Your inability to tell whether you are sharp or dull fits her description."

Candice said thoughtfully.

Shen Zhigui really couldn't imagine what this had to do with being slow or sharp. It was simply that he had heard on the way that the person in front of him had already had contact with Youla and was even currently living in her house.

"That makes it more consistent with what she said."

Candice still looked at Shen Zhigui thoughtfully, but she didn't seem to want to let him into her home as a guest, so Shen Zhigui was too lazy to continue this inexplicable conversation, so he said, "Can you tell Eula that I want to see her?"

"Why do you want to see her?"

Candice kept asking.

Shen Zhigui really didn't know why Candice had such an attitude, but when she saw Shen Zhigui fall silent, she stared at him intently. After a long time, she said, "Eula mentioned your deeds. I don't know whether it is true or not, but in her narration, you are like the center of a storm where troubles are everywhere you go. You are always chasing after something inexplicable that ordinary people can't understand, but you will always drag the people around you into the troubles you create. But I don't want you to cause trouble in Aru Village. I hope you can do this."

"You're saying that a fly won't bite an egg without cracks."

"Is not it?"

"But even if I leave now, trouble will still follow me to Aru Village."

Although the origin of this trouble was indeed created by Shen Zhigui.

So at this time he couldn't help but sigh, then looked around at this small village built like an island in the desert, and was silent for a moment, but finally said:

"I heard that you are a descendant of the Red King... So what do you think about the Gilded Brigade wanting to revive the Red King?"

"The people of the Gilded Brigade want to resurrect Lord Scarlet King only because they worship his power and want to use the power of the legendary invincible Lord Akhmar to change the plight of the desert people. What they care about is Lord Scarlet King's power, not Lord Scarlet King's will. But if they want to pursue power to change the status quo, how can they pin their hopes on others? Not to mention, resurrecting gods is too illusory for humans. I don't know why Lord Scarlet King left this world, but if there is a being that can quietly wipe out the life of a god, then even if they really succeed in resurrecting Lord Scarlet King, I'm afraid they will inevitably attract the attention of that being in the end."

Candice just looked at Shen Zhigui with her heterochromatic eyes with an unusually clear mind:

"So they are just looking for fish in a tree."

Shen Zhigui was not surprised that Candice had such an understanding. Although at this time he could not help but think of Master Lu's words, he whispered: "Those who were once wealthy should return to the past, those who are currently wealthy should maintain the status quo, and those who have never been wealthy should innovate! It's roughly like this, roughly. Unfortunately, in Xumi today, those who want to maintain the status quo do not have the strength to protect it."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Who do you think I'm talking about?"

Shen Zhigui just asked back.

But Candice did not respond. She just continued to stare at the boy and asked, "I can understand that the Order wants to create a god to solve the problems of the dead zone and the demon scale disease. I don't find it strange that the desert people want to revive the Red King. But what is the truth you want to investigate by traveling all the way to the desert? How do you want to change the current situation to suit your wishes?"

Shen Zhigui thought about it for a moment, then shook his head: "From the perspective of order, it seems that I really don't have to care about the attitude of the desert people."

"order?"

The young man standing in front of the door ignored Candice and just thought to himself: Because only by dealing with the doctor first can he ensure that his martial arts can be improved to a higher level, and that there will be no risk after his consciousness is connected to the World Tree. Only after letting the little auspicious grass king come into contact with another heart of God, can she unravel the secret left by the great kindness tree king. To solve these two problems - although in fact these two problems are actually the same problem - no matter how you look at it, it actually has nothing to do with the desert people. They don't need the void. Even if Shen Zhigui really knows how to be cautious, he can't actually be cautious of the desert people.

Not to mention that Shen Zhigui might not really be that cautious.

Therefore, the desert people's problems can actually be thrown directly to the Great Compassionate Tree King, questioning her why she stayed behind in such a mess, rather than trying to influence her with the desert people's attitude.

Chapter 98: What is life like everywhere (Part 2)

"But, in the final analysis, this is my problem, not yours. For you, reviving the Red King seems to be an unattainable luxury, and under the rule of the Council of Churches, you seem to have been treated unequally. If the Council of Churches continues to move forward with its plan, it seems that you will have no chance of success," Shen Zhigui quickly came to his senses, looked around, and remembered a Buddhist fable that fits the situation very well, and continued, "Your situation is very similar to the people in a story I have heard:

"At that time, there was a man who was wandering in the wilderness and was chased by a vicious beast. He ran away in fear and had nowhere to go. He saw an empty well with a tree root beside it. He went under the root and hid in the well. There were two black and white rats, gnawing at each other's tree root. There were four poisonous snakes around the well, trying to sting the man. There was a poisonous dragon below. He was afraid that the dragon and snake would break the tree root, but he saw honey very close."[1]

Although Candice was definitely not illiterate like the village saint in a certain moon world, Shen Zhigui's words were obviously not something that someone who stayed in a small village in the desert could fully understand. Seeing the confused look on her face, Shen Zhigui casually explained:

"It means that there was a man walking in the wilderness, but he was suddenly attacked by wild beasts. He was terrified and helpless, so he could only run away. While running, he saw an empty well with tree roots next to it. He climbed down the well along the tree roots, but soon he found that the tree roots he was holding on to were being bitten by black and white mice. There were poisonous snakes all around the well that wanted to chase and bite him, and there was also a poisonous dragon under the well that would eat anyone it wanted. He was extremely worried, but at this time he saw honey dripping in front of him. What do you think this man would do at this time?"

Candice hesitated for a moment:

"To lick the honey?"

This is a choice that any normal person would make.

Just like the little monk in Yuan Mei's story who lived in the mountains with an old monk since childhood, and when he grew up he went to the market and saw a woman. Although the old monk told him that women were man-eating tigers, he still said when he returned to the temple, "I don't think about anything else, I only think about that man-eating tiger." You cannot expect him to maintain his original innocent heart after seeing a woman. Obviously, he will only think about the woman he saw like a traveler in the desert thinks about honey.

Tolstoy also mentioned this story in his "Confessions", saying that at a certain stage in life, only the two drops of honey, family and love, can enable him to ignore the shadow of death brought by the day and night represented by the black rat and the white rat.

Although this is actually far from the original meaning of religion.

However, Shen Zhigui was too lazy to explain. After hearing what Candice said, he just followed the flow and asked, "So, for you, what is the honey that makes you forget all your difficulties and fears?"

Candice just shook her head.

There has never been such honey, or even if there was, it was only a short-lived pleasure. Most people in the desert have been living in the predicament described by the young man for a long time. Whether they look forward or backward, they can't find a way out. So Candice actually understands that those people in the Gilded Brigade want to resurrect the Red King. Although she knows that these people's thoughts are just thoughts, but in life, you must always give yourself a thought, right?

Although this thought cannot even bring them a trace of sweetness.

"If you can't even find this little bit of honey, how about I show you the direction?"

But Shen Zhigui said at this time.

"You? Direction?"

Shen Zhigui ignored her suspicious gaze and just said, "When it comes to the existence that can save a person from a situation where there are wolves in front and tigers behind, isn't the first thing that comes to mind a god?"

"But I've already said it, Red King..."

"No, it's not the Scarlet King, but a certain god who is still alive today."

"Are you talking about the little King of the Auspicious Grass who is still imprisoned in the Pure Goodness Palace by the Ministry of Education?"

"She probably wants to change this situation, but she doesn't have the power to do so. As a god, she is still too immature, both in her mind and her strength."

"Are you trying to say that you are the god of Inazuma or Liyue? Or, are you just trying to speed up the doctor's plan so that the desert people can help him create an artificial god as soon as possible and completely destroy the hopes of the Order?"

Candice stared at him coldly.

Of course Shen Zhigui just shook his head: "The god I'm talking about is, of course, the Great Compassionate Tree King."

"The Great Kind Tree King?"

Candice became confused, and at this moment, a voice came from behind her: "What Great Kindness Tree King? Candice, why are you…"

A moment later, Eula's tall figure appeared behind Candice. After seeing Shen Zhigui, her expression became complicated for some reason. After a long silence, she said to Candice, "This person is here to see me."

"But he doesn't look like that. However, his behavior does seem to be like what you described before."

The solemn and murderous atmosphere between Candice and Shen Zhigui, which was like ice and snow in December, suddenly melted away as if encountering the warm sun. Although according to their impression, it should be the other way around, the three of them didn't care. Candice didn't seem to take Shen Zhigui's previous words to heart, so she turned around and walked back into the house, leaving Shen Zhigui and Youla looking at each other.

In the end, it was Eula who spoke first: "Candice, I don't seem to like you very much?"

"maybe."

"I don't know whether I should say it's rare or commonplace."

"What do you think is strange? What do you think is commonplace?"

Shen Zhigui thought about it and asked.

Youla did not respond immediately. She was silent for a moment, then walked out of the room and turned to Shen Zhigui and said, "Want to chat?"

Of course Shen Zhigui had no objection.

Although Eula looks very strange.

It looks like she is on the verge of some kind of enlightenment. With just one final push, she can become a highly accomplished monk or... a nun?

Although this person's appearance is not suitable for being a nun.

But there was something wrong with her demeanor.

So Shen Zhigui had no choice but to follow her as she walked around the small village. Finally, the two of them climbed up a sand dune without knowing when. Youla just stood there, looking at the setting sun and the sand flying in the wind from afar. After a long silence, she spoke.

Note [1]: The original text comes from the Parables of the Buddha. The evil beast in the first sentence is actually an evil elephant. The rest of the text is incomplete. If you are interested, you can search for the keyword “two rats invading the vine”.

Chapter 99: It should be like a flying goose stepping on the snow (Part 1)

Looking into the distance, the sky and the sand seemed to be mixed into the same color, making it impossible to tell the boundary between heaven and earth, although there was actually nothing to distinguish. Since entering the desert, Eula felt as if she was lost in this monotonous world full of wind and sand. For quite a long time, she was used to acting alone and almost forgot why she came here and why she was facing such a situation. Sometimes she even felt that she was actually about to leave her life forever in this capricious desert.

Although she did have the contact props given to her by Shen Zhigui.

But a certain stubbornness hidden deep in her heart made her unwilling to ask the boy for help.

Perhaps it was because, if she really asked him for help during this journey, she might never be able to raise her head in front of him again?

Although it’s actually pretty much the same now.

But Eula is still the eldest daughter of the old nobles of Mondstadt after all. Her exquisite dress still remains spotless even now. The white shirt shines like ice and snow in the wind and sand. The short leather pants and belt that are cut off at the thighs outline her slender waist and the round and full curves above, with a large area of ​​skin exposed on her back. The snow-white area between the black stockings and the pants is particularly eye-catching, not to mention the exquisite decorations all over her body and her face that is delicate yet heroic.

From this perspective, it is not without reason that Seba said that she caused disputes among the young people in Aru Village.

Because Shen Zhigui sometimes felt that Eula's outfit was indeed a little too bold.

Of course, Candice's outfit is actually more daring.

But although Eula's outfit didn't reveal much, it still made people feel inexplicably sexy——

"Have you seen enough?"

Although Youla was walking in front of the boy, she could still feel the boy's gaze lingering on all parts of her body. Although Youla didn't really hate Shen Zhigui for doing this, her messy mind was growing like weeds outside Mondstadt, and the boy who made her become like this was still as sloppy as before, and even still pretended to be pretentious like before to Candice.

Eula had no doubt that this young man would do something to change Candice's mind and make her interested in him. In the end, she might be deceived by his sweet words and comply with his purpose, so that she would unknowingly follow him in pursuit of his inexplicable goals.

Because she came here by herself.

And this young man does seem to possess that strange magical power to manipulate people's hearts.

Otherwise, how could she be bewitched and come to such a hellish place?

"Let me be honest. This is your own decision, right?"

Shen Zhigui still just spoke casually.

Moreover, Shen Zhigui said at the beginning that if Eula felt that "when jackals are in power, why ask foxes", she should go directly to the Queen of Winter instead of wasting time in Xumi. Although there are indeed Fatui doing human experiments in the desert, their actions this time actually cleverly took advantage of the conflict between the desert people and the rainforest people. Even if their actions are exposed, they may not be hated by the desert people.

Although Eula is indeed the captain of the guerrilla squad of the Knights of Favonius, it is obvious that the reconnaissance methods taught by Amber's grandfather are not powerful enough to find the traces of the Fatui in the desert, so she is probably facing setbacks now?

"I just feel that, compared to you, what I did was purely to vent my anger on myself."

Eula was silent for a long time again, and finally turned around. In the setting sun and the wind and sand, she looked at the boy with her eyes that shone with a light amber light, and said.