socalfunplaces Chapter 1083 Big Liar Barbara
Chapter 1083 Big Liar Barbara
Barbara suddenly came to her senses and turned around. When she saw the person who came, her eyes were full of surprise.
The person standing in front of him was Diluc, who had left Mondstadt a few days ago and started traveling around the world again!
Why is Diluk here? Barbara was full of confusion.
What she didn't know was that Diluk had already bought a boat ticket to Inazuma, but before leaving, he heard that Liyue was going to hold a grand temple fair, comparable in scale to the Lantern Festival.
With the idea of "since I'm already here, I might as well see more", he temporarily changed his itinerary and stayed in Liyue for a few more days. Unexpectedly, he would meet Barbara, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, at the main temple fair today.
Although Barbara took off her usual nun uniform today and put on a white dress.
But after all, she was an acquaintance who had lived together in Mondstadt for many years, so Diluk recognized her at a glance.
He walked calmly to Barbara, who was still a little dazed, and greeted her softly again.
"Long time no see. I didn't expect to run into you at the Liyue temple fair."
Barbara was so startled by the greeting that her heart was pounding in her chest and she even missed a beat.
She looked up at Diluk in front of her, her tone still a little flustered, and habitually called him by the name they used to call him in Mondstadt.
"Master Diluk?"
Diluk looked at Barbara who had finally come to her senses. There was still no extra expression on his face, and his eyes were as calm as a pool of deep water. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
He simply nodded, his eyes sweeping across the bustling temple fair scene around him before returning to Barbara, commenting simply:
"I didn't expect you to have built a career in Liyue."
He paused and added:
"On the way here just now, I heard the people from the Qianyan Army chatting. They said that the reason why this Liyue Temple Fair was so grand was not only because of the active promotion of Yuheng Star Keqing, one of the Seven Stars of Liyue, but also because of your considerable support behind the scenes."
Although he had only been in Liyue for a few days, he had already learned some details about the preparations for the temple fair.
Hearing Diluk's comment, Barbara quickly waved her hand with a self-deprecating smile on her face.
"It's nothing, Master Diluc. You're praising me too much."
"The idea for this temple fair was entirely proposed by Lady Yuhengxing. She was the one who took the lead from planning to execution. I was just helping out on the sidelines, doing some odd jobs. I wasn't much of a help."
She deliberately downplayed her role, not wanting to draw too much attention, but also fearing that Diluk would ask for more details and reveal her true purpose.
Diluk looked at Barbara, who remained humble, and said nothing more. He simply nodded slightly, then suddenly changed the subject and asked:
"So... have you written to your sister Jean recently?"
"Write a letter to your sister?" When Barbara heard this question, she froze in place, with a hint of obvious dazedness in her eyes.
If Diluk hadn't mentioned it so suddenly, she would have almost forgotten that she had a sister named "Jean" in Mondstadt.
During this period, she was fully focused on collecting the power of faith and resurrecting the "God of Wind", and had long forgotten her relatives in Mond.
She calmed herself down, looked at Diluk's inquiring eyes, and knew that she couldn't lie at this moment.
If it is exposed in the future, it will only arouse more suspicion and cause unnecessary trouble.
So, she lowered her head, spoke in a softer voice, and said truthfully: "Not yet..."
When Diluk heard that Barbara hadn't contacted Jean yet, he silently calculated the time in his mind.
More than a month has passed since Barbara left Mond. Normally, after a long separation, relatives would write letters to each other to report their safety. Such silence is really abnormal.
"It's been over a month... Even if you're busy out there, there should be time to let your family know you're safe, right?"
Barbara pursed her lips and did not answer, choosing to remain silent.
If someone says something to you, just say it. At least you can avoid trouble temporarily.
Looking at Barbara who lowered her head in silence, Diluk didn't think too much about it.
He just thought that Barbara was busy helping to prepare for the temple fair in Liyue and had too many trivial matters to deal with, so she accidentally forgot to write to Qin.
After all, it's a long journey from Mondstadt to Liyue. Coming to this strange place to work hard, it's inevitable that you will neglect the people and things around you because of being busy.
He sighed inwardly, thinking that there was no need to dwell on this matter any longer. What was more important right now was to break the suddenly awkward atmosphere between the two of them.
After a moment's silence, Diluk took the initiative to speak, his tone much softer than before, and shared his thoughts.
"Actually, I had a fight with your sister. It was a big fight a while ago in Mondstadt."
"Fight?" Barbara raised her head immediately after hearing this, her eyes full of surprise. Even her previous silence and panic were broken by this sudden news.
"Why? Master Diluc, your relationship with my sister isn't particularly close, but why did you suddenly start arguing, and arguing so fiercely?"
In her impression, Diluk is calm and introverted, and Jean is also very reasonable. Even if they have differences of opinion, they will only communicate calmly and have never had a fierce quarrel.
Diluk's expression became complicated. He looked at the lanterns fluttering above the stage in the distance, a trace of fatigue flashing in his eyes, but he did not elaborate on the reason for the quarrel.
These things cannot be explained in a few words, and there is no need to let Barbara know too much.
He just shook his head slightly and said:
"The reasons are complicated, and I can't explain them right away. But your sister has been really exhausted lately, having to deal with the daily affairs of the Knights Templar while also navigating Mondstadt's financial crisis. The pressure is immense."
"Since you can't go back to Mondstadt now, write to her more often. Even if it's just a simple message about your recent situation, it can give her some psychological support."
Diluk knew that Jean was always strong-willed and would not easily show her tiredness, but the care of her family might help ease her tense nerves.
But what Diluk didn't know was that at this moment, the image of Jean had already become blurred in Barbara's mind.
During this period, she was completely focused on collecting the power of faith. The moments she had spent with Jean in Mondstadt and the sisterly friendship they had shared had long since faded in the day-to-day calculations.
Now when she mentioned Qin, she felt no emotion at all. She just felt like she was talking about an insignificant passerby.
But she knew that she couldn't let Diluk notice anything unusual.
So, Barbara immediately put away her indifference, put on a serious expression on her face, nodded vigorously, and solemnly promised:
"Okay, Master Diluk, don't worry! As soon as I'm done with the temple fair, I'll write to my sister and tell her about my situation in Liyue and show my concern for her."
As soon as she finished speaking, Barbara's gaze unconsciously drifted towards the popular statue of the Rock King not far away.
Since Diluk is right next to me, I might as well take this opportunity to have him burn some incense and contribute a little more power of faith.
She immediately put on a gentle smile and suggested in a somewhat natural tone, "By the way, Mr. Diluk, it's a rare opportunity to come to the Liyue temple fair. Would you like to go and burn some incense?"
"This statue of the Rock King is very effective. Many people say that after visiting it, their wishes come true. It can also be regarded as a prayer for peace for myself and Mond."
Following the direction of Barbara's finger, Diluk's gaze fell on the statue of the Rock King surrounded by incense.
The statue is carved in a majestic and solemn manner, and the base is filled with flowers and offerings presented by the people. The curling smoke reveals the Liyue people's reverence for the Geo King.
But when Barbara looked at him expectantly, Diluc frowned almost subconsciously and refused: "No, I'm the God of Wind..."
As soon as the word "Wind God" came out of his mouth, Diluk suddenly came back to his senses, the words were stuck in his throat, and his heart skipped a beat.
After Diluk instinctively said the word "Wind God", he immediately stopped and regretted it in his heart, fearing that he would irritate Barbara again.
"Damn... I'm sorry, Barbara, I shouldn't have brought this up. Just pretend I didn't say anything."
The moment Barbara heard the word "Wind God", her heart seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand and suddenly stopped beating. Then a strong emotion surged in her heart.
But she quickly forced herself to calm down, determined not to let Diluk notice her abnormality.
She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the turmoil in her heart, and even swallowed her saliva against her will. She forced a calm smile on her face and said in a relaxed tone:
"It's alright, Master Diluc. It's all in the past, why bring it up again?"
"We should always look forward, right? If we keep dwelling on the past, wouldn't we become like those old Mondstadt nobles who can't see reality?"
As she spoke, she took out three sticks of incense and handed them to Diluc, deliberately changing the subject.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. Do you want to give it a try?"
Diluk felt a little relieved when he saw that Barbara really didn't seem to care and didn't show too much obsession with the word "Wind God".
But he didn't take the incense offered by Barbara, and frankly stated his attitude towards gods: "Actually, I don't reject gods, it's just..."
"The Wind God previously kidnapped the Honor Knight and her child. This incident made me feel very uncomfortable, so now I can't help but feel a little resistant to things related to the Wind God."
"But... if it's Tevarin, the Dragon of the East Wind, I could pay my respects..."
After all, Tevarin is now the second-generation orthodox wind god in Mondstadt's legal system, guarding the peace of Mondstadt. Worshiping it is a way to do justice to Mondstadt.
Seeing that Diluk was still hesitant, Barbara refused to give up.
This is a rare opportunity for Diluk to add to the power of his faith, how can we miss it?
She immediately adopted a more earnest tone and offered a sincere suggestion: "Mr. Diluk, just consider it a chance to experience Liyue's traditional customs!"
"Since I'm here, I might as well burn some incense and pray for good luck. It won't be a wasted trip to the temple fair, and I won't lose anything, right?"
She specifically emphasized "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" because she understood that although Diluk has a calm personality, he also knows how to respect the cultural customs of different regions.
After all, he had traveled to many countries and had always maintained a basic tolerance for local customs.
As expected, Diluk was somewhat moved by the sayings of "experiencing local customs" and "when in Rome, do as the Romans do"...
He looked at Barbara's expectant eyes, and then looked at the many people around him who were burning incense and worshiping devoutly.
It's just burning some incense and experiencing Liyue's traditions, there's really no harm in that.
He finally gave in and took the three incense sticks that had been prepared from Barbara.
"Well... let's just consider it as a chance to experience Liyue's customs. There's really no harm in that."
As soon as he finished speaking, the red divine eye on Dilu's waist suddenly lit up, and a faint fire elemental force flowed out from his fingertips, gently wrapping around the tip of the incense.
Driven by the power of the fire element, tiny sparks slowly emerged from the top of the incense, and then an orange-red flame ignited, which soon turned into curls of light green smoke, exuding a faint woody fragrance, blending with the surrounding incense scent.
Diluk, holding the lit incense, walked to the statue of the Rock King that had been secretly modified by Barbara.
Although he did not believe in the Rock King, he followed the example of the people around him, holding incense in both hands, bowed slightly, and bowed solemnly three times.
After the worship, he gently inserted the incense into the incense burner in front of the statue, watched the smoke slowly rise and dissipate into the air, and unconsciously a wish arose in his heart.
It's not for power or wealth, I just simply hope that my future life will be better than now...
At least, don't let yourself see the Fatui...
He thought of his quarrel with Jean, the plight of the Knights of Mondstadt, and his own helplessness as the "God of Wind" who was unable to openly protect Mondstadt.
The depression that had been accumulating in my heart seemed to dissipate a little with this simple prayer.
Barbara on the side kept a close eye on Diluk's movements, especially when he was worshiping the statue.
Along with Diluk's prayers, a pure power of faith quietly flowed into the body of the "god", which was much stronger than the power of faith of ordinary people.
As soon as Diluc stood up, Barbara came forward and asked expectantly, "How was it? Do you feel better after praying?"
Diluk took a long breath, looked down at his hands, and then looked at the statue.
Perhaps it was the psychological comfort brought by praying, or perhaps it was the peaceful atmosphere brought by the aroma of incense, but he really felt that his depressed mood just now was much better now.
"How should I put it? I do feel a lot better..."
……