bookbashuk Chapter 1307 Empty Promises
Chapter 1307 Empty Promises
Shao Yun wasn't particularly interested in Kong and Dai Yin's plan to collaborate again, so he changed the subject and asked:
"Let's put aside the matter of weaving the ley lines of Kanria for now. What I want to ask is, how do you intend to defy the laws of nature?"
When Kong heard Shao Yun mention the specific actions to rebel against the laws of nature, he looked utterly distressed.
He scratched his head in frustration and said with great annoyance, "Don't even mention it! Just thinking about defying the laws of nature makes me anxious!"
"As you know, the Abyss power that the Order had painstakingly accumulated was stolen by some bastard a while ago! The plan has come to a standstill."
"I've been secretly searching for the thief who stole the power of the abyss, but he's vanished into thin air, leaving no trace."
"Without that accumulated strength, we can't do anything right now."
At this point, he looked up at Shao Yun and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Don't even think about helping me. This is my business, and I have to solve it myself."
"Otherwise, when my sister finds out, she'll definitely beat me up again, saying that I can't even handle my own affairs and always bother others."
He knew that Shao Yun was powerful, and if Shao Yun helped, the probability of finding the thief would greatly increase. But he was, after all, a prince of the Abyss Order.
I won't allow myself to rely on anyone else in this matter, especially my brother-in-law. It would make me feel like I'm selling my sister for aid...
Looking at Kong's bitter and resentful expression, and recalling the rumors about the "Mechanical Demon God" recorded in his mind, Shao Yun suddenly had a guess.
He raised an eyebrow and asked tentatively, "You don't really want to modify that Liyue Demon God named Oser and turn it into the kind of 'mechanical Demon God' that Dain talked about, do you?"
"I think I heard Ying mention something before, that you were planning to use Oser to overturn the laws of nature?"
Upon hearing the words "Oser" and "Mechanical Demon God," Kong visibly stiffened. He neither nodded in agreement nor shook his head in denial, but simply gave a vague and perfunctory answer:
"More or less... That was originally a very important part of my plan. With the Mechanical Demon God, we would have another trump card when fighting against the laws of nature."
"But now that crucial abyssal power is lost, the transformation can't be started at all, so there's no point in saying all this."
Seeing that Kong was unwilling to talk more, Shao Yun did not press the matter further.
He wasn't particularly interested in things like reforming demons or defying the laws of nature, especially since he had a verbal agreement with Ronawa. He only asked a few more questions out of concern for his brother-in-law.
Now, he nodded nonchalantly and offered his blessings in a flat tone.
"Alright, good luck with your search... Like I said, I wish you good luck in finding the thief and getting your things back soon."
Kong seemed to want to say something more, but then changed the subject and started promising her good brother-in-law: "Don't worry, our plan will be restarted soon!"
"Once we have rebelled against the laws of nature, completely overthrown its rule, and given Kanria true freedom, we will all be free... That day will come soon!"
After listening to these idealistic words, Shao Yun bluntly interrupted the empty reverie and said very pragmatically:
"I don't care when we will be free, nor do I care about the consequences of rebelling against the laws of nature."
"I only care whether you'll be having dinner with us tonight. If you are, I'll ask Ningguang to prepare a few more dishes so we don't run out of food."
Seeing that Shao Yun's mind was only on dinner and he showed no interest in the grand plans concerning the future, Kong shook his head helplessly and complained:
“You’re always like this… You never have any interest in things you don’t care about; your mind is only filled with trivial things like pastures, cattle, sheep, and eating.”
Upon hearing this, Shao Yun raised his hand and slapped Kong on the back of the head. The force was not strong, but it carried a hint of "teaching a lesson".
"I don't have the energy to worry about all that other stuff. Let's focus on the present first. By the way, what are your plans for the next few days?"
"We can't keep wasting our time on this pointless search for the thief, can we?"
He didn't want to continue discussing those distant plans with Kong. He'd rather see if his brother-in-law was free to help with the farm work, like milking cows.
Kong shrank back when he was slapped, and his tone became less confident.
"Then what other job can I do? Even though there are no clues, I can't just stand by and watch that abyssal power be stolen for nothing,"
Upon hearing about this vague and unrealistic task, Shao Yun assumed that Kong had been very idle lately and presumptuously said, "So you haven't had anything serious to do these past few days, and you're very free, huh?"
"Come on, before lunch, I'll teach you how to milk a cow. It's never a bad thing to learn a new skill."
"Huh?" Kong's mouth gaped open and his eyes widened in disbelief when he heard that Shao Yun was going to take him to milk cows.
Looking at Kong's dazed and resistant expression, Shao Yun couldn't help but bring up old grievances.
"What do you mean, 'huh'? I'm teaching you a skill to make a living!"
He paused, then deliberately emphasized, reminding her, "Back then, you and Ying didn't even know how to pitch a tent. You two slept like idiots under a big tree and almost got bitten to death by mosquitoes!"
"As your brother-in-law, I have an obligation to train you properly, at least to teach you some skills to fill your stomach, so that you don't end up starving to death in the future!"
(Of course, the story about being text-based was something Shao Yun made up on his own...)
……
Just as Shao Yun was pulling Kong toward the livestock shed, fully planning to turn his brother-in-law into a laborer for the ranch, a completely different atmosphere was taking place in a room at the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt, thousands of miles away.
Barbara sat in front of the dressing table, her little face full of distress; she didn't know what to do.
She gathered as much faith as possible, but it wasn't enough to resurrect her own god.
What should I do next?
After thinking it over, she stood up and paced back and forth in the room, various thoughts flashing through her mind.
But no matter which method she used, she lacked guidance.
Where should one gather faith? Inazuma, or Mount Sumeru? Or perhaps Fontainebleau? And if so, what reason should one give? Stealing faith is not always forgivable.
Just as Barbara was anxiously planning her next move, a loud bang suddenly rang out, and the door to the room was violently kicked open.
Qin burst in, her face beaming with barely suppressed excitement. Her lips were turned up in a wide smile, and even her usually impeccably styled blonde hair was a little disheveled.
"Barbara!" Jean was so excited that she walked quickly toward Barbara almost as soon as she entered the room.
Barbara was startled by the sudden commotion. She turned to look at the piano that had barged in, and a surge of indescribable physical disgust welled up inside her.
Since she wholeheartedly embarked on the path of resurrecting the gods, she had lost all feelings for the zither.
But she learned to conceal her emotions, maintaining a calm demeanor, though her tone became more distant.
"What's wrong, sister...? This recklessness isn't befitting of a knight commander, is it?"
Qin completely ignored the coldness in Barbara's tone. She quickly stepped forward, grabbed Barbara's hand, and felt the warmth of her palm seep through her fingertips, making Barbara instinctively want to pull her hand back.
"Great news! Fantastic news! Come with me, I'll show you!"
Barbara suppressed her aversion to physical contact, gently pulling her hand away to create some distance, her tone tinged with a helpless complaint:
"What exactly happened? Explain yourself first! If the Knights see us running like this, they'll start gossiping again."
Keqin acted as if she hadn't heard her. Instead of letting go, she gripped her hand even tighter and kept pulling Barbara toward the door.
"There's no time to explain! You'll find out when you get to my office; it'll be a surprise you'll never expect!"
Barbara was being pulled along by the piano, almost staggering as she followed behind, her heart filled with doubt and a hint of barely perceptible anticipation.
Qin rarely showed such a flustered and excited expression. What could be this "good news" that she valued so highly? Could it be... related to the resurrection of the gods?
Once this thought popped into her head, she temporarily suppressed her aversion to the zither, and her pace unconsciously quickened.
……
In Qin's office, sunlight streamed in through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor.
The familiar oak bookshelves, the knighthood emblem hanging on the wall, and the documents spread out on the desk—everything was still as normal as ever.
At this moment, in the center of the room, a beautiful woman dressed in a knight's uniform stood with her back to the door, her gaze slowly sweeping over every detail of the office, her eyes filled with a mixture of nostalgia and contentment.
Her features bore an eight-tenths resemblance to Qin's, but she possessed a gentler grace honed by time, and compared to Barbara's charming beauty, she exuded a more knightly competence.
This is none other than Frederica Gunnhildr, the biological mother of Jean and Barbara, the Mondstadt sisters, who was once known as the "Alder Knight"!
The office door was suddenly pushed open by Qin. She pulled Barbara in and walked in quickly, then eagerly let go of her hand, gesturing with her chin towards the beautiful woman, her excitement almost overflowing.
"Barbara, look! See who's back?"
Barbara looked in the direction the piano fingers were pointing, and when she saw the beautiful woman turn around, she froze.
That face, both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar, those eyes filled with gentle smiles, instantly awakened memories that had been dormant deep within her for many years.
The bond of blood between mother and daughter is far stronger and harder to sever than the affection between sisters.
"mom!"