MM Racing Chapter 1428 Taking a Break on Sky Island
Chapter 1428 Taking a Break on Sky Island
After listening to Fanes's complete plan for saving the world, one question lingered in Shao Yun's mind, and he had no answer for a long time.
That was about the time when Faenes saved him.
"Put your world-saving plan aside for now. Why was I seriously injured by Asmody in the first place? And why did you have Vanessa turn into an eagle to save me?"
"But I still don't understand, how exactly did you save me? Was it really just by turning her into an eagle that you could heal my near-death injuries?"
Fanes explained, "My task for Asmodian was to secretly maintain the order of the false heavens, Teyvat. She may consider you an enemy..."
"As for how you recovered, I don't know either."
"That mysterious man in the tall hat only told me that when you are about to die, an eagle will come carrying your soul and can protect your life..."
"I followed its instructions and had Vanessa transform into an eagle and rush to your side. I know nothing else. Perhaps this action itself has some special symbolic meaning."
Upon hearing this, Shao Yun nodded as if he understood, a vague sense of familiarity welling up in his heart once again.
He didn't stop pressing, continuing along the line of questions: "What else did he talk to you about the eagle? Did he say anything else, anything more specific?"
Fanes closed his eyes, thought carefully for a moment, and then slowly opened them, sharing word for word what the mysterious man had said.
"Yes. It also made a prophecy that I have always kept in mind: In a land of fire and corpses, the devil will make a sacrifice. The wolf and the deer will make their final choice there. Whether you become an eagle and soar high, or become a vulture and eke out a living, it will all be up to you."
Shao Yun was stunned. Why did those words sound so familiar?
"It's exactly what Mona's Water Divination Plate said... I didn't expect that I heard this almost five years ago. It seems that the Witch Society guys do have some real skills."
Fanes' gaze passed over Shao Yun and landed again on Ying, who was still facing away from him and refused to turn around. A deep sense of loss flashed in his eyes.
He had hoped that Ying, the "son of man," could shoulder this responsibility, but Ying's resolute decision now left him with no hope at all.
Frail and weak, it leaned against the throne, placing all its hopes on Shao Yun, its voice weak yet earnest:
"It seems that the fate of Teyvat rests in your hands..."
"Although I have always hoped that the Son of Man would step forward and take on the responsibility of protecting Teyvat, it seems that the guy in the tall hat has already won half the battle."
Ying's refusal undoubtedly leaned towards "escape," bringing her one step closer to the disastrous outcome of that bet.
Upon hearing this, Shao Yun crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Fanes.
"What makes you think I'd agree? You should know that your lackeys hate me to the core, wishing they could grind me to dust. Why should I help you?"
After listening, Faenes seemed indifferent. After so many wars and betrayals, he had long since lost much expectation for his four subordinates and the so-called Seven Rulers of the Earth.
"It doesn't matter. The powers of life, death, time, and space were originally bestowed by me. If it weren't for the war with the dragons and to ensure the normal functioning of this world, I wouldn't have bothered to split my powers and create the four of them."
Whether they hate you or not is none of my business, nor is it related to the survival of Teyvat.
When it comes to the Seven Worldly Rulers, it is even more indifferent, just as Wendy once said, the Seven Worldly Rulers are nothing more than insignificant pawns.
"As for the Seven Rulers of the Mortal Realm, they are not worth mentioning. As long as the throne of the Heavenly Principles still exists, as long as these seven rulers still hold their positions and can maintain the order and destiny system of Teyvat, I don't care who they are."
"Even if you were to take up a position for a long time, or even if you were to be replaced every day, as long as it doesn't involve the Abyss or the Dragon Clan, and doesn't disrupt the foundation of Teyvat, I wouldn't interfere."
At this point, Fanes thought of the particular problem of Fontaine.
"As for the remnants of the dragon race in Fontaine... With the threat from the Abyss closing in, and my own body already on the verge of collapse, I am too busy to take care of myself and have no extra time or energy to deal with those insignificant remnants."
In his view, compared to the Abyss, the remnants of the dragon race in Fontaine were nothing but a trivial matter.
Severity: Abyss > Dragon Race...
Seeing that Fanes had no trust in his subordinates, Shao Yun instantly pictured Istar, the ruler of the time.
The shadow, stripped of some authority and restricted in its actions, now had all its doubts answered.
"So, that's why you deliberately restricted Ishtar's time control in the first place? It was because you didn't trust her and were afraid she would betray you?"
Fanes nodded weakly and laid bare his long-hidden unease to Shao Yun without reservation.
“That’s right. After the incident where the angels colluded with outsiders to rebel, I have never truly trusted my subordinates again, not even the shadows I created myself…”
“Especially after the battle of Kanria, my injuries worsened and I grew weaker day by day. I was even more worried that my shadows would take advantage of my weakness to launch a rebellion, divide my power, and then abandon Teyvat and run away.”
"If you were in my position, holding the fate of this world in your hands, facing the possibility of betrayal and destruction at any moment, you would have the same thoughts as me, and you would also choose to deal with external threats and internal strife, and first stabilize your own foundation."
In short, the fate of Ilmin the Black King in the Battle of Canria, where he was betrayed by his followers and ultimately perished, serves as a warning to Fanes.
It fears repeating the mistakes of Irmmin, so it defends against external threats while tightly controlling its own subordinates, keeping a firm grip on both ends and daring not to relax its efforts in either.
However, Shao Yun could not empathize with Fanes's suspicion and unease. He shrugged and spoke frankly and with his own unique simplicity.
"I don't know, and I can't imagine it. I'm just an ordinary rancher. How could my cattle and sheep rebel? Have they stopped producing milk, stopped growing wool, or are they throwing a tantrum and refusing to eat grass?"
Seeing Shao Yun's blank and completely incomprehensible expression, Fanes knew that saying anything more would be pointless.
Then, Fanes quietly gave Vanessa a wink, signaling her to proceed with the plan.
Having done all this, Fanes slowly closed his eyes.
It was tired and now all it wanted was to quietly await its death.
The moment Phanes completely falls will not be the end of the Teyvat doomsday countdown; this world will be utterly destroyed.
"My time is running out..." Fanes' voice, filled with a final plea and despair, slowly echoed in the hall, "Merciful one, please save Teyvat..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Phanes, who was sitting on the throne and nearing death, tilted his head slightly and fell into a state of shock.
……
Vanessa looked at Fanes, who was in shock and barely breathing on the throne, and sighed softly, saying, "Well, it seems that Lord Fanes' time is really running out."
Shao Yun, however, remained true to his mischievous nature, attempting to lighten the atmosphere with humor. He put his hands on his hips, deliberately adopting a spectator's expression, and said with a grin:
"Miss Vanessa, tell that Asmody to hurry up and go to Liyue to call over Kurumi, the head of the Hall of Rebirth?"
"It's a good opportunity for her to give your Lord Fanes a grand funeral."
(Hu Tao: Thank you~)
Vanessa neither responded to Shao Yun's joke nor refuted his teasing.
She concealed the complex emotions in her eyes and, following the instructions given by Fanes before his collapse, extended an invitation to Shao Yun and his group in a gentle tone, attempting to buy time.
"You should rest for a while and not rush into making any decisions. There's still some time before the end of the world, and Sky Island is still quite safe. You'll have enough time to recuperate."
Upon hearing Vanessa's offer to keep them resting, Shao Yun waved his hand without hesitation, decisively refusing:
"No need, no need. We dare not linger on Tianli's territory. Let's leave now and find a planet without the Abyss, without Tianli, without any mess, so we can live a peaceful life!"
He looked determined to escape Teyvat, and grabbed Ying's hand, heading towards the outside of the hall.
Vanessa had anticipated Shao Yun's tactics and knew exactly where his weaknesses lay.
She didn't step forward to stop them, but slowly turned her gaze past Shao Yun and landed on Shen He's arms not far away.
Xi was resting her head on Shen He's shoulder, looking listless... clearly exhausted from the journey.
Vanessa probed indirectly, "Are you sure? Are you really going to leave in such a hurry? Your baby seems very tired... Can such a small child withstand the bumpy journey and the travel across planets?"
She didn't offer direct advice, but instead pointed out Xi's exhaustion, precisely hitting the spot that Shao Yun cared about most.
Xi, nestled in Shen He's arms, began to whine and pester him.
The little body wiggled gently in Shen He's arms, rubbing its head against him, its little mouth pursed, a sight that broke one's heart.
During the day, Shenhe spent the whole day playing with the little one in Liuquan, running around and playing with her; in the evening, he followed the crowd and didn't get a proper rest, enduring all the hardships to reach Sky Island.
Shen He gently stroked Xi's soft hair, feeling heartbroken as he looked at the baby's weak appearance due to poor sleep.
Following Vanessa's words, Shen He looked intently at Shao Yun and pleaded:
“Mr. Shao Yun, no matter what, it seems that Heaven has no ill intentions towards us, so we don’t need to be in such a hurry to escape now.”
As she spoke, she paused, then reached out and gently patted Xi.
"Moreover, we don't even have a clear plan for which planet to go to next or how to leave Teyvat. Setting off blindly will only be more dangerous."
"Most importantly, the baby needs rest and can't keep going like this."
As soon as Shen He finished speaking, Silky stepped forward and calmly echoed:
“She’s right, blindly fleeing isn’t the solution. I’ll go check the area to see if there are any star maps or anything like that, to determine our route in the universe so we don’t just wander around aimlessly and waste time.”
Seeing that Shen He and Skylark were both on her side, Vanessa seized the opportunity and, taking advantage of the situation, quickly extended an invitation to Skylark:
"Are you talking about those star charts that are like maps, marked with cosmic routes? If you'd like to see one, I can take you there, so you don't waste your time searching aimlessly."
Upon hearing this, Skykirk turned to look at Vanessa, her eyes instantly flashing with wariness.
Such proactive enthusiasm inevitably aroused her suspicion, causing her to furrow her brow slightly and respond with a drawn-out tone.
"Hmm~"
However, Vanessa simply looked at her calmly, without the slightest guilt, tilted her head slightly, put on an innocent look, and replied with a puzzled sound.
"Ok?"
Skykirk stared at Vanessa for a moment, and seeing that she looked calm and there was no evasion in her eyes, she shook her head and temporarily put aside her vigilance.
We do need a star map right now, and with Vanessa leading the way, we can save a lot of time. There's no need to be overly suspicious.
She nodded slightly and said, "Alright, then I'll trouble you. Please lead the way."
Seeing the need for navigation and rest, Shao Yun had no choice but to agree. After all, people need rest, and not everyone is like him, a nuclear-powered donkey...
"Okay, let's rest for one night, and then we'll leave."
……