đ If you enjoy my work, consider supporting me on Patreon. I'm offering advanced chapters there as a thank-you to readers.
--------------------
Check out advanced chapters on : patreon.com/DragonOP
--------------------
The announcement was sudden, yet its impact was like a gale sweeping through the cobblestone streets of the city. Posted clearly on the front of the Wind and Bird Bookstore, the notice read: The new work - Old Mond: Pupils of King Zhangu will be officially released soon. Three thousand years ago, during the Great War of the Demon Gods, the land was a frozen wasteland.
In order to compete for the seat of the Seven, the Lonely King of the Tower and the King of the North Wind engaged in a brutal struggle for supremacy. Decarabian, the Demon God of Storms, and Andrius, the Dominator of Wolves, were the two most powerful entities on this land. This is the story of how the Anemo Archon and a nameless boy rose from the blizzard. Stay tuned for a legend born of wind and song.
After seeing this information, this amazing heavyweight content directly detonated Mondstadt. Especially those places where crowds gather, such as the bustling restaurants and taverns, the news acted like a spark in a keg of gunpowder. Everyone excitedly discussed the implications. Oh my god, did you see the notice? Master Ye Ruo is going to release a new work! And it's set during the Demon God War! That was more than three thousand years ago.
For us, that's an ancient, forgotten era. Is he actually going to start with those two terrifying demon gods and tell the story of those years? It's amazing to think about the competition for the position of the Seven. Just these names alone evoke endless myths and legends. It's a battle of myths, the end of the demon gods, and it makes my blood surge just thinking about it.
To be honest, this is the first time I've even heard the real names of these two demon gods. Decarabian and Andrius? It's incredible. As expected of the Wind Knight, he even knows the deep history of our land. You're still too young if you didn't recognize the titles. Obviously, there's the past king who ruled the ruins we now call Old Mond, the tyrant's lair.
It seems to be the same person. For us ordinary people, there are too many stories about the war between the demon gods that have long been lost to time. I'm afraid only the archives of the ancient noble families who have been passed down for generations would have records this complete.
Countless people were sighing as they realized the depth of the history being unearthed. Such history and the events of the past had mostly disappeared into the wind. How could they possibly know everything? In fact, this was normal for the current era. In today's Mondstadt, the most prominent legends were those of the Lionfang Knight, Lady Vanessa, and the establishment of the Knights of Favonius. Those stories had been immortalized in poetry and song.
That was the Legend of Vanessa, a ballad widely sung since the rebuilding of the city after the fall of the aristocracy. It told the story of how Vanessa rose from slavery to become the first Grand Master. Even the children of Mondstadt could chant those lines by heart. Many people had collected copies of that poem, and even Acting Grand Master Jean kept a copy in her office.
However, going further back to the Demon God War and the Lonely King of the Tower was a different matter. Not many people knew the specifics, and the historical records were broken. There was a book called the Tower of Mondstadt, but that was a story of an exotic girl and an orphan during the much later reign of the Lawrence family. It didn't touch the primordial era.
Hundreds of years ago, the era of chaos and the cataclysm caused by Khaenri'ah took a huge toll on the land. Mondstadt took a massive hit, and during the struggle for peace, the people even began to forget the belief in the Four Winds. The corresponding temples were abandoned and left to rot. This made the time period of the old tyrant king feel like a distant, unreachable dream.
Only the very few ancient families from the beginning of the city's founding might have kept some information in this regard. So when the Wind Knight announced he wanted to write such a story, the people were shocked and horrified. The influence and movement caused by this announcement far exceeded the excitement for his previous two books. If the announcement alone was this impactful, the actual day of publication would surely be chaotic. Everyone was looking forward to it with endless curiosity, carefully re-reading those few short sentences on the poster and trying to comprehend every bit of lore.
It seems that this time Master Ye Ruo's new book will feature the Anemo Archon as the protagonist. I love reading stories like that. I hope the story is written in a way that's exciting and touching. If it's good enough, maybe Lord Barbatos will even be happy about it. I heard that over in Inazuma, they have a popular novel about being reincarnated as the Raiden Shogun, and now our Mondstadt finally has a work with our own god as the lead. Based on Master Ye Ruo's previous descriptions and the general outline of this story, I feel like it's going to be wonderful. It might even be better than the books coming out of Inazuma.
I just don't know who this nameless boy is supposed to be. It's strange that he doesn't have a name in the summary. He looks quite important, though. It's really not easy to write a character like that. I want to see this new work right away. I've already decided I'll be queuing up early on the day it drops. Me too, count me in!
The crowds continued to talk enthusiastically, and the heat of the discussion showed no signs of fading. The news began to spread from the city gates to the furthest farms, ensuring that everyone knew something big was coming. This news naturally reached the other important figures of the city. After all, the knights and officials were fans too.
Inside the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius, Jean took a rare break from her mountain of paperwork. She had enjoyed Ye Ruo's previous novels and was now staring at the latest information regarding the upcoming release. Even she couldn't hide her shock.
The War of the Demon Gods? The Lonely King of the Tower and the King of the North Wind? She whispered the names to herself, her mind racing. And Lord Barbatos himself is a character? How does Senior Ye Ruo know so much about that era? Is he really planning to describe the events of three millennia ago? Even I only know a little bit about those times.
As a member of a family that had been part of Mondstadt's history since the very beginning, Jean had access to more information than the average citizen. She came from the Gunnhildr family, one of the oldest lineages in the land.
Although much of that history was dilapidated and lost, there was a Mondstadt historian named Eckhart Gunnhildr. He had spent his life screening through the broken legends left over from the aristocratic era, integrating what he found to compile the Biography of Gunnhildr. That book recorded the stories of their ancestors. This historian was a member of Jean's own family.
According to the records, the Gunnhildr family originated from an ancient legend during the time when Decarabian and Andrius fought three thousand years ago. On the frozen wasteland of the Mondstadt ice fields, the most powerful tribal leader among the refugees was a man named Gunnhildr.
Because of her upbringing, Jean knew the general outline of the Lonely King's reign, but the specifics were a mystery to her. In the period of the high tower, it wasn't as if nothing remained at all. The Windblume Festival, for instance, had been influenced by the traditions of that era, gradually evolving into the festival the city celebrated today.
Most people had forgotten the original origins of the Windblume, turning it into a celebration of freedom and romance. But for those who knew the history, the roots of the festival were much deeper and darker.
Jean leaned back in her chair, looking out the window at the statue of the Anemo Archon in the plaza. She wondered how Ye Ruo had managed to gather enough detail to write a full novel about such a secretive time. Was it just creative writing, or did he have access to records that even the Gunnhildr family had lost?
Either way, she knew the book would be a masterpiece. The Wind Knight had a way of capturing the spirit of Mondstadt in his words. She found herself hoping that the story would do justice to the god they all served.
Outside, the excitement didn't waver. In the taverns, bards were already trying to compose melodies based on the names Decarabian and Andrius. The atmosphere in the city was lighter than it had been in weeks. For a moment, the worries about the Fatui and the monsters in the wild seemed to vanish, replaced by the collective anticipation of a new legend.
Ye Ruo, sitting in his bookstore, could feel the legendary reputation points accumulating in his system. The sheer scale of the interest was unlike anything he had seen before. He knew that by touching upon the history of the gods, he was tapping into the very soul of the people.
He spent his time carefully refining the manuscript, ensuring that the dialogue between the nameless boy and the tiny spirit that would become the Anemo Archon felt real and poignant. He wanted the readers to feel the bite of the northern wind and the weight of the stone walls that had once caged the people.
He thought about Noelle, who was currently helping a neighbor move some heavy crates nearby. She was becoming more efficient every day, learning when to help and when to let others handle their own business. She was a quick learner, and her growth as a knight was as rewarding to him as his success as an author.
As the day of release drew closer, the Wind and Bird Bookstore became the center of the city's attention. Even Kaeya had stopped by once or twice, leaning against the counter with a smirk and asking for a sneak peek at the draft. Ye Ruo had always turned him down with a smile, telling him he would have to wait like everyone else. The mystery was part of the charm, after all. He looked at the stacks of paper on his desk, the words of the Old Mond calling out to be shared.
The legend of the wind was about to be reborn in the hearts of the people, and he was the one holding the pen. He could almost hear the faint sound of a lyre in the distance, a melody that had survived three thousand years just to be heard once more. The story of the boy who wanted to see the birds fly was finally ready to be told.
The wind outside seemed to pick up, carrying the scent of dandelions across the city. It was as if the element itself was excited for the story to be told. Ye Ruo took a deep breath, feeling a sense of peace. He had come a long way from being an orphan in the frozen north. He was the Wind Knight, an author, and a protector of this city. And soon, he would be the one to remind everyone where their freedom truly came from. The history of Mondstadt was long and full of shadows, but through his words, he would bring those shadows into the light. He picked up his pen and began the final edit of the first chapter, the tale of the blizzard beginning to unfold on the page.
The legendary degree on his system continued to climb, nearing the threshold for the next tier of treasure chests. He could sense the potential for something truly great. But for now, the rewards didn't matter as much as the story itself. He wanted to give the people of Mondstadt something to believe in, a reminder of the strength they carried in their blood. The Lonely King and the King of the North Wind were gone, but their legacy remained in the very foundation of the city.
And as long as the wind continued to blow, their story would never truly end. Ye Ruo smiled, his hand moving across the paper with a steady, confident grace. The publication day was almost here, and Mondstadt was ready for its next legend. He looked out at the spinning windmills and the blue sky, knowing that the spirit of freedom was stronger than any stone tower. The story of Old Mond was about to begin.