A suffocating aftershock of the fierce gale emanated from the center of the throne.
Everyone, including Amos and Hector, knelt on one knee, enduring it silently, awaiting the king's command.
After a long while, the bright white spots on the wind wall gradually faded, returning to their original cyan-gray color.
However, the fierce gale around the throne did not subside; instead, it grew even more tempestuous.
Decarabian unleashed his divine power, his majestic voice like the storm itself, instantly spreading to every corner of Mondstadt City:
"My people! The Wolf of the North Wind covets my domain, and a foreign god bewitches the hearts of men from the shadows! Mondstadt is at a critical juncture of survival! Starting tomorrow, the worship assembly held once every seven days will now be held daily! The duration of each will be doubled! All of Mondstadt's people, noble and commoner alike, must participate. No one is exempt! Use your most devout faith to strengthen my power, only then can we purge the external evil and protect Mondstadt for eternity!"
...
The divine oracle was like a boulder dropped into still water, provoking a violent reaction in every corner of Mondstadt City.
In the residential districts, a brief, dead silence was followed by an eruption of various voices.
A wooden window was thrown open, and a man stuck his head out, roaring furiously in the direction of the high tower:
"Mondstadt curse! This mad god! Does he even want us to live?!"
From next door came a woman's suppressed sobs: "Every day… and for twice as long? Who will work the fields? What will the children eat!"
From another house came an old man's hoarse curse: "Is he trying to squeeze every last drop of strength from us?!"
A young artisan slammed his tools on the ground: "There's no time to work anymore, what will we pay taxes with? Are we supposed to just wait and starve to death?!"
Inside the noble residences, it was a different scene entirely.
"What?! We have to go too?!" A portly noble shot up from his seat, knocking over the silver cup beside him. "Sing hymns for five hours every day?! What kind of joke is this!"
His wife shrieked, "My legs will break from standing that long! No! Absolutely not!"
In another mansion, the head of the noble house had a grim expression: "What does the king mean by this? Is he punishing us as well?"
"Father, can we feign illness…"
"Idiot! That was a divine oracle! Do you want to be arrested as a rebel?!"
...
In the throne room, Decarabian slowly reined in the divine power surging around him, and the gales subsided slightly.
He spoke again, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority as he ordered the two attendants behind him: "That foreign god who has infiltrated Mondstadt must have colluded with Andrius, intending to subvert the order I have established. You two, during the assemblies, will lead the personal guard and patrol the entire city. Anyone who does not participate shall be taken into custody. At that time, I will personally use the fierce gales to give them their baptism and purification!"
Amos's heart trembled. She immediately stood up: "My King! This is improper! There are many in the city who cannot possibly attend the assembly due to hunger, injury, or illness. Furthermore, with the time doubled, even those who can go will be exhausted and unable to work. The fields will lie fallow, the workshops will cease production, and the very foundation of Mondstadt's operations will be shaken!"
The Solitary King's voice was devoid of emotion: "Faith in me itself will grant them the strength to accomplish anything."
Amos said urgently, "But some people can perfectly feign piety while plotting disrespectful acts in their hearts! This method won't filter out the true rebels at all; it will only breed more resentment!"
"My enemies," Decarabian's voice was sharp and decisive, filled with absolute confidence in his own logic, "would never be willing, nor would it ever be possible for them, to sing hymns to me!"
Amos opened her mouth, a sentence almost bursting forth: "No, you're wrong. You don't understand the kinds of pretenses humans are capable of to achieve their goals…"
In the end, she didn't dare to speak it aloud.
...
Noble's Residence
Vladimir paced irritably, looking at Janus, who was slumped in his chair leisurely eating honey-candied dried fruit.
"How did we get dragged into this?" Vladimir's voice held suppressed fury.
Janus's fat fingers picked up another piece of candied fruit. He chewed it slowly and methodically, mumbling, "The king perhaps… feels we are useless. Or, he wants to put us in our place."
"Useless?" Vladimir sneered. "Those rebels haven't been idle lately. Bombing warehouses, stealing weapons. Who knows, maybe tomorrow night they'll come charging into our mansions with swords?"
Janus's swallowing motion paused for a moment, a cold glint flashing in his small eyes.
"You're right. We can't let them continue to run rampant. We must make them, and all those fence-sitters around us, see clearly who the true masters of Mondstadt are."
"We must make the king act personally, to display his divine might!" Vladimir clenched his fist. "Only His power can completely crush those unrealistic fantasies and make everyone learn to fear again." He hoped to use the divine might to consolidate his own authority. "Do you have a plan? How do we get the king to unleash his divine power? The oracle just now only mentioned the assemblies, nothing about unleashing the winds."
Janus licked his sticky fingers, a cruel smile spreading across his face: "Simple. Find a group of the most cowardly commoners, those with no way to survive. Give them a few of your old clothes, tell them there's a way to live outside the city, and then, 'kindly' send them out."
Vladimir understood immediately and chimed in: "And then… tell the king they were bewitched by the foreign god and were going to defect to Andrius, and that we couldn't stop them…"
"Exactly!" Janus slapped the armrest excitedly. "When those rebels, and all the others who are getting restless, see the king use his gales to sweep up a crowd of people and dump them, bloody, in the square… that'll be more than enough to scare them!"
Vladimir frowned: "Just using the wind to drag them back won't draw blood."
Janus looked at him as if he were an idiot: "Fool! What do you think the whips in your men's hands are for? Can't you 'entertain' them properly first?"
Vladimir was stunned for a moment, then a sinister smile, identical to Janus's, crept onto his face.
...
Above the Temple of a Thousand Winds.
A dozen or so Wind Sprites gathered together, their bodies shimmering with a soft cyan light, like dancing musical notes.
They circled around Venti, recounting their findings.
After hearing their news, Venti's small wings of light drooped.
Still no sign…
The Wind Sprites finally said: "We've searched all the places She usually frequents, but found no trace of Her at all. We will search elsewhere and rendezvous with you in a few days."
Then, the dozen or so Wind Sprites transformed into streaks of cyan light, scattering in different directions towards the high heavens.
Venti slowly descended, stopping beside one of the temple's massive stone pillars.
Venerare, who had been waiting there all along, walked over and asked, "Still no sign of the 'Master of Time'?"
Venti's glow seemed a bit dimmer: "My companions say that for some time now, She seems to be… deliberately avoiding us. We can't feel Her response."
Venerare's profound eyes gazed into the distance.
"Time… is truly mysterious and unpredictable. Perhaps the moment for our meeting has simply not yet arrived," she said softly.
Venti roused his spirits: "I plan to go back inside the wind wall first. Gunnhildr and the others need help."
Venerare nodded: "Tell Gunnhildr that her clansmen are under my care, she can rest assured. Also," her tone became firm, "we are speeding up preparations of supplies and personnel. We will set out in a few days to support them in Mondstadt City."
"Okay! I'll be sure to pass it on!"
___
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