Chapter 673 Island Stories, Shipwrecked, History

"In the era long, long ago, when the Demon God of the Fierce Wind and the Wolf King of the North Wind were fighting, Mondstadt was still covered in ice and snow."

"In pursuit of freedom, people overthrew the rule of the Tower. A new god, Barbatos, was born."

"The wind god split the towering mountains, blew away the snow, and turned the ancient land of Mondstadt into a paradise suitable for human habitation."

"This archipelago..." Jiang Yi pointed to the distance, "Based on the investigation on Weiwei Island, it can be inferred that the island came from Mond and is a fragment of the mountain in Mond."

"Some powerful force tore it off the mountain and threw it into this sea."

"During the movement, the mountain turned upside down, so we can see upside-down ruins and temples on the Isle of Danger. The temples have patterns that only belong to the Four Winds Temple, and there are unique patterns that only belong to the Thousand Winds Temple."

"We can observe more details later."

"But the power that allowed Mount Mond to move here is undoubtedly the masterpiece of the God of Wind."

"The storm and fog outside might be the remnants of the power of the wind god."

Jiang Yi handed an echo conch to Albedo.

The conch recorded Albedo's mutterings when he was investigating the archipelago. It was the same judgment as his, that the archipelago came from Mondstadt and was the power of the god of wind.

When Albedo heard the sound from the conch, he was surprised. He didn't expect that what he said was recorded by the conch.

"So, this was part of the original Mondstadt land." Qin was a little surprised.

"Lord Barbatos, you are so awesome." Barbara prayed devoutly, "Mondstadt has a pleasant climate now, all thanks to Lord Barbatos's blessing."

"That 'singer' is really good..." Paimon said halfway, then quickly changed his words, "...he should know this story too."

"Hmm? The bard?" Barbara asked curiously.

Ying gave an awkward but polite smile.

Paimon never dared to interrupt again.

"Then, one day, a passenger ship encountered a shipwreck and entered this mysterious archipelago."

"The people on the passenger ship were lucky to survive, but the storm and fog around the island, as well as the mirage, prevented them from leaving."

"Ten years later, the voice of an old man telling about his shipwreck and the nursery rhymes from his hometown was recorded by the conch shell."

Jiang Yi took out five echo conches and handed them to everyone to listen.

"...a small village hidden in the mountains...sparsely populated, two roads diverge in the woods...a small river flows through...the sounds of joy echoing through the mountains..."

"If I'm not mistaken in my analysis, this ballad actually describes Qingce Manor in Liyue."

"The people who were shipwrecked probably... became the first residents here."

Paimeng was shocked. She had heard the sounds of these conch shells and knew the nursery rhymes, but she had never imagined that the nursery rhymes described Qingce Village.

“It turns out he’s from Liyue…” She stroked her chin.

"Of course, Qingce Village at that time might not have been called this name. It might have been 'Chi' or some other name." Jiang Yi sighed, "The nursery rhymes describing the hometown were passed down from generation to generation, but they still forgot their hometown."

"Although these five conch shells all mentioned nursery rhymes, the people who sang the nursery rhymes were one, two, or even many generations apart, and they are all elderly now."

"There is a gift inside, an heirloom from home that will be passed down together."

"The God of Wind was probably asleep at that time." Jiang Yi held the conch, "Abnormal celestial phenomena appeared in the archipelago, and the tides became higher and higher, submerging the islands and squeezing out the living space."

"A tide came with huge waves, and people took their belongings and moved to higher ground. However, in the emergency evacuation, they were unable to take the heirloom in the center of the island. Because family was more important than treasure."

"Ying, you should have explored that island..." Jiang Yi looked at Ying.

"So that's the heirloom..." Paimon suddenly realized.

Ying took out a four-star relic.

The profound glory of history is undoubtedly revealed.

"What a pity, it's just for worship and not for use." Jiang Yi sighed.

At that time, people still hoped that the water would recede and they could find it again.

Unfortunately, the sea level has been rising, or rather the island has been sinking.

"Everyone remembers Popo Island. There are pillars and rocks at the bottom of the mountain. When you step on the rocks, the hollow mountain will emit a huge echo. There are also rocks near the top of the mountain that can produce an echo."

"People use these different notes to warn of water levels and the severity of the tides."

“There are still traces of the life of the lookout who warned of the tide on the island.”

As Jiang Yi told the story, it was as if he could see the mottled passage of time.

"They set out their nets and, with the help of the low tide, caught the fish trapped in the nets, praising the wisdom of their ancestors."

"They headed for the sea generation after generation, hoping to take a boat to leave the archipelago and see the outside world, but because of storms and fog, the boat would return to the starting point no matter what."

"How pitiful..." Klee said dejectedly.

"It seems like we can't leave either!" Kaia had tried it before, but when he drove the surf boat, he encountered fog and couldn't get out at all.

Qin was not too worried, as they had to take the boat, so Jiang Yi's cave and Ying's anchor point could still be used.

Jiang Yi holds the conch.

"After who knows how many years, a pirate ship from Inazuma accidentally drifted into the archipelago."

"They encountered a shipwreck, and the ship full of gold and silver treasures broke into two pieces, leaving only the puppet warriors on the ship intact."

"The puppet warrior mentioned in this conch shell is the Demon Sword Demon."

"According to the clues, the Magic Sword Ghost was stolen by them. They were chased by the soldiers of the Inazuma Shogunate. After a long struggle, they got rid of the pursuers, but ended up in this foggy archipelago."

"The owner of the pirate ship is called 'Akako Hyakumeki', and the head of the family is called Snake Eye."

"But the ones who are in trouble here are subordinates of these pirates."

Noelle thought about the Inazuma robot doll: "So this is how it ended up here? Why is it being remembered by people later?"

"Because there are monsters on the island, the ubiquitous hillbillies, slimes, etc., threatening people's safety." Jiang Yi said.

"Once again, the monsters attacked, and the pirates activated the mechanical doll, but the doll was a prototype, and for unknown reasons it went out of control. After it was put down, it killed everything indiscriminately, and unexpectedly protected people from the threat of the monsters."

“People dared not approach, and could only watch as the mechanical puppets occupied the passage where the monsters were coming from.”

"The descendants of the first group of shipwreck victims, the children called the puppet sword ghost dressed like a general in their minds 'General', but the adults did not consider it a companion and warned the children that it was dangerous."

"But the children think he protects them and is not a bad person."

"The children spoke to the puppet sword ghost outside the circle of defense, talking about their distant hometown, a home so far away that they could not remember it."

"The kids think the general is just like them, a castaway."

"After asking again and again, the children, who received no response, gave the flowers they picked to the 'general'."

Barbara suddenly realized: "The piles of stones and flowers used for memorial on the island were probably placed there by those children one day."

Diluk folded his hands: "It matches Albedo's previous guess."

After Albedo came to the archipelago, he suggested that there might be two groups of people on the archipelago. The Puppet Sword Demon might have killed the Hilichurls in an indiscriminate attack and was therefore worshipped as a commemoration.

Jiang Yi continued to tell the story with a strange aura about him, but he didn't care.

"Pirates and residents meet..."

"The pirates learned the bad news that they could not leave, so they persuaded the residents, who had already given up hope because they had tried every possible way to leave, to go out to sea again."

"The pirates are full of confidence. They are the world-famous Inazuma Pirates. Their opinions on navigation are far superior to those of the islanders. They are true experts."

“Although the islanders jokingly call him an expert on being stranded in the archipelago.”

"The sea and the tide came as expected, and people ran to the top of the mountain again."

"As the tide passed, the residents who had lived on this island for generations learned about the outside world for the first time from the pirates."

"Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma... the world outside is vast. Compared to those places, this archipelago is only the size of a thumb!"

"So said the pirate."

"'Ri... Yue...? The islanders pronounced this name."

"The pirates explored the archipelago and found the magnificent upside-down ruins that were older than the ancestors of the inhabitants. They used the stones of the ruins as building materials, just like the islanders, and moved them to the islands."

"They started trying to leave, but they failed again and again."

Jiang Yi paused slightly and didn't say anything to Keli. The vast ocean swallowed up all lives, and all those who left never returned. They all died.

"Some pirates gave up on themselves and prepared to eat wild fruits and wait for death."

“But a turning point finally came.”

"In the archipelago, there is an island where you can observe the celestial phenomena. Pirates and residents have set up an astronomical observatory there."

"They found that the fog in the sea seemed to have a regular pattern. From morning to night, the fog in different areas would gradually change, with some areas increasing while others decreasing."

"They speculated that the exit to escape the archipelago might be hidden behind some fog."

“They started trying again and again, analyzing again and again.”

"During this period, pirates and residents intermarried."

“Finally, at some point in their life, they found a way out.”

Jiang Yi looked at Ying, "According to the murals on the island, we once found a hidden space on Shuangshuang Island and found a notebook. Combined with the clues in the conch, we can find a way to leave the island."

“They convinced everyone to make one last attempt.”

"In that special season, when the moon rises, the wind direction becomes very special. It is a strong wind, enough for them to follow the guidance of the waves and drive the ship out of the sea."

"The man who claims to know the wind direction of the entire sea area is leading everyone on the journey."

"We set out from a certain point in the northeast of the archipelago, sailing with the wind, waiting from early morning to noon. The wind blew away some of the fog, and we rushed into it, ignoring the reefs formed by the fog phantoms and mirages, and continued to move forward, breaking through the blockade of the island fog."

Jiang Yi chuckled, "It's a very good ending."

"Great, they've all left," Barbara clapped her hands.

Keli was also happy for those people: "They can find their hometown."

Everyone gathered their thoughts and when they looked at the archipelago again, their mood was different.

That is the trace of human's efforts to survive and wisdom.

Albedo nodded. "It's pretty much what I expected. It took those people a long time to find a way to leave the sea. The island is deserted, with only some traces left in some areas. The story behind it is equivalent to the history of the Golden Apple Islands."

Jiang Yi held the conch and suddenly said, "Actually there is another part."

"It should be that not long ago, an adventurer from Qingce Manor in Liyue mistakenly entered this place. After encountering the hillbillies, he escaped in time, and under the strong emotion of missing his children, he waited for rescue."

Ying and Paimeng said, "This man is the father of the child named Dongdong from Qingce Village."

During their adventures, they had seen many notes left by this adventurer, a unlucky, boastful, and liar.

Dongdong has been waiting for his father to return to Qingce Village.

Jiang Yi took the last three conches.

Between heaven and earth, there seemed to be a vague sound reaching my ears, but I couldn't hear it clearly.

Thousands of winds blow by, filled with the flavor of time.